Will of the Stars
by Lord Faust
Summary: One was a lord, the other a stray. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Regardless, it must have been fate that made their paths cross.
1. Prologue

I recently finished reading Shaman King, and it was an interesting manga. I particularly enjoyed Hao's origins and his relationship with Matamune. Therefore, I decided I wanted to explore his first life as a monk and his subsequent descent into madness.

* * *

The night was overall silent. An earlier rain had caused a fog to form and glide down into the lower valley, clinging thickly near the ground. At the far side of a pathway, two men dressed in priest robes strode into view, an ox-drawn cart following behind them. The clacking of the cart's wheels slowly became the only sound to be heard, which made it seem all the more louder.

As the ensemble continued, they came to a bridge. The first words were spoken once they had begun to cross it.

"It certainly is a lot colder this time of year than it should be," the man on the left announced.

The one on the right nodded. "Yes, it sure is."

The first man continued, turning his nose up in the air and crinkling it in repulsion. "And the smell...it's gotten a lot worse."

Still leading the ox along, the second man replied. "Well, you know how troublesome it is." He looked over the side of the bridge. Littered along the riverbank and occasionally even in the river itself were corpses in various states of decay. Some had completely decomposed to bones while others were rather fresh. He sighed. "The poverty stricken families of the poor who die can't afford a proper burial, so...they bring the bodies here...and dump them. Though my body's used to it, my mind is still surprised that people do this. It's just a sign of the times, I suppose."

The first man nodded in return. "Yeah. The Court can't do anything now. If they had ever even tried to establish any order, it's all fallen apart now. Living in their palaces while everyone else starves...small wonder the bandits run around, killing and stealing who and whatever they want." He scowled. "And I don't understand why these people keep polluting their water supply."

"Because, it's the only place they have left that isn't over crowded," the second replied.

"Well, their only killing themselves quicker, giving themselves diseases this way," the first retorted.

"Maybe they want to die. I'm sure that a time such as this seems like the end of the world to village folk. Who knows...perhaps it is..."

The first man remained silent as the second followed suit.

A rustling noise made them stop in their tracks, eyes widened. Startled, they began looking around, shivering as they became more and more frightened. The rattling continued, becoming steadily louder.

The right man turned, looking behind and all around him. "Oh please...please don't let them appear..."

The other man stared at him, slightly puzzled. "Don't let _what_ appear? What would possibly appear in a place like this?"

The right man regarded him with a slightly shocked expression. "'What would appear?' Why, if anything appeared here it would be one of those _oni_! They come straight from hell, you know? They'll eat anything and anyone! Men, women, children, it doesn't matter to them!"

The other man's eyes grew to the size of serving saucers.

A large clank resounded and the two men dropped to their knees, covering their heads with their arms. "AHHHHHHH! IT'S HERE!"

With time passing without the feeling of elongated talons and sharp, piercing teeth, ripping them apart as they screamed for their mothers, the two men took a chance and looked up.

Peeking through their eyes, they each noticed a skull on the opposite bank of the river shaking, making the noise that had them so frightened. Although glad to see it wasn't a dreaded oni, a moving skull still didn't help matters.

The skull finally toppled over, revealing the culprit. A small yellow cat bearing black stripes on its head and down its back regarded them coldly. The two parties stared at one another momentarily before the cat turned its head, sticking its nose in the air, and began walking away.

The men hadn't noticed that, in their fright, they had coaxed the cart across the bridge. It was now resting behind them as they looked down the bank at the feline.

"It's...a cat," they blandly stated in unison.

"What the hell?" the man on the right shouted.

"You little bastard, thinking you could scare us!" the left added.

"I'm gonna kill you!" they yelled together, throwing their kariginu back to draw their swords.

As they descended upon the cat, it turned to look at them with blank regard. The feline didn't mind dying. It would be much better than this living hell, anyway.

Just as the blades were about to make contact with flesh, a voice, soft spoken but firm, sounded out.

"Stop."

The men turned to stare at the cart. The man they were escorting had spoken up for the first time since leaving his mansion.

The man in the cart continued. "It doesn't matter how weak or insignificant it is, it is still a living creature. Killing it without a reason would be unforgivable. A sin, even."

"But it's just a mangy cat!" the two men protested.

The man rolled up the blind covering the cart's left window. "Jiro," he said, staring sternly at the man on the left before turning his attention the man on the right, "Taiki... I expected much better from the two of you. I am deeply ashamed."

Jiro and Taiki lowered their eyes, staring at the ground. "Forgive us, Lord Onmyoji. We sincerely apologize."

The man stared at them harshly a few moments longer before smiling. "Haha, no, no, there's no need to turn so apologetic. I'm far too used to scolding you now." He sighed. "I had only hoped that the two of you would have taken my teachings to heart by now."

He turned away from them. "Isn't it extraordinary?" the man inquired, to really no one in particular, stepping out of the cart.

The two men were confused. "Eh?"

The Onmyoji fully emerged from the cart, the night wind blowing his long black hair around him and causing his white kariginu and jo-e of the same color to flow in the breeze. He reached up and straitened his incredibly tall black eboshi perched on his head.

He looked out, regarding the cat, intrigued. "It's all alone in this human capital of destruction, _and _it escaped the wrath of death."

The cat regarded the man in shock. How could this man know about that?

Taiki and Jiro were slightly unnerved, as well. "Ah...um..."

The Onmyoji continued, his eyes not leaving the feline. "You...you were abandoned by your parents, and have outlived your seven brothers and sisters...yet you also know that you have contracted deadly diseases and are nearing death..."

The cat turned to face him, shock now completely evident on its face. Jiro and Taiki bore a similar look. Still yet, the priest continued on, smiling all the while.

"That brave soul of yours...it's completely absent of the fear of the oni." His smile broadened a little. "How could I possibly leave you alone out here? Plus...I believe you should be able to see..."

The cat watched in silence as two ogre looking creatures materialized on either side of the man while, out from each ogre, smaller ones began to appear, until they had the man and the cat encircled.

The man extended his hands towards the feline. "Come, come to my side," he stated.

Seeing no better option and, in all honesty, overjoyed to have someone understand him, the cat complied. Although wary, he steadfastly marched towards the man until he felt fingers wrapping around his sides. The man lifted the cat up into his arms, cradling the feline.

The Onmyoji smiled. "Good."

Taiki and Jiro stood dumbfounded as the man stepped back into the cart, carrying his furry companion all the while.

"Well? Shall we continue?" the Onmyoji inquired from behind the re-veiled window.

"Um...Ah, yes, yes, of course my lord!" they quickly stammered out as they coaxed the ox into moving the cart forward once again.

In the cart the man looked down at the feline.

"Hm...you certainly are interesting. I believe we'll become very good friends." The cat's twitching ears were his only response.

He smiled. "Well, since I can only see your thoughts, I'm not sure as to what your name is. Or if you even have one, for that matter." The feline looked up at him at this.

"As such, I believe I'll call you...Mata...mune. I hope you don't mind." The cat happily mewed in response, quite glad to have a name and a new existence, which the Onmyoji could sense, making him smile.

The man's dark eyes flashed for a moment. "How foolish of me! Here I am blatantly giving you a name without telling you my own! I'm sure you heard those men refer to me as 'Onmyoji,' but that's actually more of a title given due to my, er...profession. Seeing as how we are friends, you should at least know my name. It is Hao Asakura." Hao reached down, using his right index finger and thumb to lightly grasp the feline's right paw, gently shaking it up and down while smiling. "Pleased to meet you."

The cat happily meowed his own "It's a pleasure" in return.

The ox-led cart continued on, rolling through the night towards its destination.


	2. Memoir

The ox-pulled cart came to a stop in front of what was once a mansion. Now, it was nothing more than a hull of its former self, run down and overgrown with weeds of varying types. Opening the side door, Hao stepped out into the night.

His newly acquired companion, Matamune the cat, attempted to follow.

The Onmyoji turned to his friend and smiled. "No, I believe it's best if you waited in here. Inside those walls is certainly no place for you."

As he started up the splintered wooden steps leading up the embankment, he turned back, looking at Jiro and Taiki. "You two will take care of my friend, correct?"

The two had been loafing around, but immediately snapped to attention. "U-um, yes, y-yes, m'lord! Of course we will!"

Hao smiled. "Good."

Midway up the hill, the steps stopped at a flattened area which had been cut into the hillside. On the far side of the area, where the steps continued, an old monk was standing. The man's lavender robes were practically tattered rags, showing his longtime dedication to the area; the monk's mustache and beard had grown long, vaguely reminiscent of the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his head was completely shaved though, with his age, it wouldn't grow back anyway.

The Onmyoji greeted the man with a smile. "I can only assume that you are the guardian of this building, correct?"

The old man bowed as well as he could, the years not having been all that kind to him. "Yes. And there's no mistakin' it. You have to be that legendary Onmyoji I've heard about. I'm honored that you have come...and, to be honest, I really didn't think you would answer my lord's call."

Hao continued smiling. "Why, I am but only a man. Plus, I couldn't simply leave a fellow monk in distress, now could I?"

The old monk chuckled, his breath raspy.

Hao gazed up to the mansion. "So, you said you had a 'problem' here?"

The aged man followed the monk's gaze, nodding solemnly. "That's right. It started...oh, I'd say about three weeks ago. People said they'd been hearin' some strange wailing comin' from this old place." The old man flicked his nose with his thumb. "Heh, I figured it was a bunch of kids causing trouble, so I came up here to straighten the little hellions out."

Hao nodded, listening to the story intently, enjoying the aged monk's country speak.

The old man sighed. "But...I can't even get into the place. I'm not sure what it is, but if you get close to the mansion, some force just...kinda stops ya. I tried talismans and everything, but they just don't work. That's when I called on you."

The Onmyoji gazed back up to the building. "_I wonder..._" he thought before turning to face the monk. "Ah, I see. I believe I'll go have a look for myself."

As Hao moved across the area to continue ascending the stairs, he could hear the old man shuffling behind him. He decided not to question it.

Upon reaching the building, the two men stopped at the edge of the front yard.

"Now see, watch this..." the old monk commanded as he walked briskly towards the mansion.

"No, wait, there's really no nee-" Hao attempted to protest.

It was of no use. Marching a few paces from Hao, the old man came to a dead stop, the front of his body appearing flattened as if he'd met a wall head on. Hao noticed the area the monk had hit shimmer, as if reality itself was distorting. Energy taking the form of electricity forced the old man back, knocking him to the ground.

"_Ah, a barrier,_" Hao observed before hurrying over to help the monk.

"Are you alright?"

The monk stood shakily. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I may be old, but I'm not _that_ old, yet."

The Onmyoji smiled. "Ah, that's good."

He turned and reached out towards the barrier. When he felt it's resistance, he continued to press forward until his hand was flattened against it. Not even a second had passed until the energy repelled him.

"Hm..." he mused.

"What? What is it?" the old man inquired.

"Not a thing," Hao replied. Seeing that the monk was fine, he stepped forward. Feeling the resistance of the barrier, he pressed on until it seemed as though all of reality was warping around him. He could feel himself permeating through it until the resistance gave way, allowing him to pass through. "_Just as I thought. It was made of furyoku..._"

The old man was dumbfounded. He reached his hand out, still feeling the invisible force there, yet the young man was on the other side. "H-how did you do that?" the old monk asked.

Hao turned back. "Hm? Do what?"

The monk had both hands pressed to the barrier now. "Get passed _this thing_," he said while pushing against it.

The Onmyoji feigned a slightly puzzled look. "I simply walked forward. You saw me."

The man's puzzled look never faded, but his simply shook his head. "_I guess that's why he's called the legendary Onmyoji..._" he thought.

Hao smiled at the man's thoughts. The puzzlement was familiar, but at least he hadn't been called a freak or "demon-child."

He continued pacing towards the mansion, taking its short set of steps two at a time. Reaching the veranda and, without turning around, Hao spoke to the old man. "You don't have to stay there. Go down to the bottom of the hill. My escorts are waiting there. They shall keep you company."

The old monk's raspy chuckle echoed around the area as he sat down in the yard. "I'm a grown man. I think I'll be alright out here in the dark. 'Sides, least I can do is offer my prayers to the Buddha. You be careful in there, y'hear?"

Hao waved over his shoulder. "I certainly will. I shouldn't be long, so I'll not keep you waiting."

* * *

Hao slid the shoji shut behind him. Even if the place was deserted, he still had manners.

The inside of the mansion was just as bad as the outside, if not worse. It was dingy and dank everywhere the Onmyoji looked, and the entire area he was in was in disrepair. He assumed the rest of the building could not be much different. With parts of the roof having holes in it or having simply caved in, the moon offered a little visibility for him, and he could see that various lichen were growing on the inside of the mansion, and much of the wood had dry rotted from the years of harsh weather. Hao would have to watch his footing. To top it all off, each step he took kicked up a choking cloud of dust, forcing him to cover his mouth with the sleeve of his pure white jo-e at times.

Taking a right from his entrance, the Onmyoji found himself walking down a darkened hallway. Sliding his hands along the walls, he could sense the residual traces of furyoku. "_So there is something here..._"

Rounding the corner of the hall, he noticed a set of stairs. As he tentatively placed his foot on the first step, he could feel it sag with only the slightest bit of pressure. Not wanting to chance it, he decided to try an experiment. Searching around, he found a cracked cast iron urn in an obscure corner of the room, nearly hidden in the darkness. Physical strength not being his strong point, he was forced to drag the urn over to the steps by its top. Using all the power he could muster, he swung it around, releasing it in time for it to land in the middle of the staircase. At first, it seemed as if the wood would hold, but it was not to be. After bouncing once, the wood began to splinter under the weight of the object, and it smashed through the steps, lodging itself into the floor underneath. "_Won't be taking that route, then,_" Hao thought with a grimace.

As he stepped left into the adjacent room, he stopped. He believed he had heard the pitiful sound of weeping. Glancing around the room, he attempted to deduce where the sound was coming from. "_There's no way that's coming from a human...probably a ruse. Hm...alright, I'll play along._"

Wandering through rooms and corridors, he searched. _"I know it didn't sound as if it came from above, so it isn't on the upper floor. I couldn't get up there, anyway._"

As he felt he was nearing the heart of the building, the crying returned as something behind an ajar shoji caught his eye.

Peering into the grand room, he could see a young woman at it's center, far away from him. As best he could see, her back was mostly turned to him, so the most striking feature that he immediately took notice to was her flowing black hair, which came to a stop just above her waist. She had a light pink kimono draped across her shoulders, and the red and brown flower symbols gave the hint that she came from an upper class family. She had her face obscured behind her hands and her shoulders were heaving.

"_Ah, I found you. Time to get to work._"

Sliding the door completely open, he stepped inside. "Excuse me, miss, but I overheard your weeping and couldn't help but see if there was a way for me to help you."

Her voice was as soft as velvet. "Why, that...that is _very_ kind of you..." she said through her sobs as she stood.

The Onmyoji enveloped his hand in furyoku as he walked up behind and reached out, gently grabbing her shoulder. "Now now, just turn around and I'll see just what I can do. The least I _can_ do is hear your story, right?"

Her sobbing had subsided. "Oh, you're so kind...you must have the heart of a saint."

The slight smile Hao showed quickly faded as she turned to face him. When her face was revealed, there was barely a face at all. It was similar to looking at a blank canvas, the Onmyoji thought. The only feature the creature bore was its gaping mouth, bearing dozens of blackened needle like teeth. As the creature turned, it planted its right fist into the priest's stomach, sending him reeling backwards.

"An ohaguro-bettari..." he choked out, still trying to catch his breath.

"Heh heh, so, you know about me, do you, little man?" the creature chuckled.

"Well, I've never actually encountered one of you before, but yes, I've heard of your kind," Hao politely replied, breathing normally again.

"Such a learned monk," the monster retorted. "So sad that you'll become a part of this house forever!" it shouted as its arms shimmered and extended, snaking their way towards the priest, talons pointed at him like spearheads.

The Onmyoji stood firm, smiling at the creature, not making a single move to defend himself. With the ohaguro-bettari's hands making contact with the monk, a brilliant flash of light erupted, filling the room.

Feeling the resistance given by making contact with the man, and not waiting for the light to disperse, the ohaguro-bettari shouted with glee. "Hahaha, little man! At least you knew there was no point in trying to run! Now, your soul will feed me, just like those ignorant children who came before. Haha, I can't wait to see who enters next! I'll just keep gaining more and more pow-"

The creature stopped in mid sentence as the light faded. The priest was still standing before it, the smile still gracing his lips.

The ohaguro-bettari was baffled. "WHAT? How did you live? You should have been skewered!"

Hao continued to smile, and spoke politely. "It's called furyoku nullification."

The creature's bafflement became mixed with rage. "Don't toy with me! I've never even heard of that!"

The Onmyoji nodded. "I'm sure you haven't. In fact, most never have. Therefore, I'll keep this brief. Those with..._abilities_ such as mine are known as a Shaman. In short, we enact with the spirit world. You see, upon dying, you become a spirit, but you already know about that." The ohaguro-bettari scowled.

"A spirit has an inherent energy, known as reiyoku, just as a Shaman's inherent energy is known as furyoku. However, through exerting force, the energy generated from a spirit's attack, like what you just did, is a form of furyoku."

The creature was outraged. "That still doesn't explain anything!"

The priest continued to smile. "That because you haven't allowed me to finish," he said pointedly.

"I have trained extensively for many years, since I was a child. Though I really didn't know much at first, I have grown to understand the five fundamental elements that compose the cosmos. This understanding allows me to read the very nature of furyoku used against me and determine its course. That knowledge allows me to disperse it, without ever being harmed."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" the monster spat. "Not that it matters! For years and years have I trapped souls here; my power is unlimited! There's no possible way for you to 'nullify' an attack using all of that energy!"

The walls themselves seemed to come alive. They rippled and convulsed as numerous grotesque forms emerged, some serpentine in appearance, others impish, humanoid, and unrecognisable.

"Now priest, let's see how you handle _this_!" the ohaguro-bettari screamed as the entire ensemble of spirits launched themselves at the priest.

Hao tried to keep the onslaught of thoughts out of his head as best he could, but some were still able to penetrate through.

"_Why did she leave me?_"

"_I miss my mommy._"

"_Take whatever you want, just don't hurt my wife!_"

"_I've heard this place is haunted..._"

"_Someone help! There's a fire!_"

The memories continued to pour in, forcing the Onmyoji to clasp his hands to the side of his head in an attempt to regain his composure. The monster's harsh laughter wasn't helping matters, either.

As the yokai closed in, Hao never noticed the two glowing paper talismans fall from his left sleeve, or the subsequent flash of light they produced. Still struggling against the invasion of the thoughts, his eyes remained closed to the events that followed. He believed he could hear various ripping and tearing sounds, and the clang of metal, but they all seemed miles away to him.

The cacophony of voices stopped abruptly. Sweat pouring down his face, the Onmyoji opened his eyes, looking around him. Standing in front of and guarding him, were his two demon shikigami, Kouki and Zenki. The last of the spirits, a serpentine one, was left. Zenki had blocked it with his shield and Kouki took the opportunity to split it in half with his poleaxe.

"W-what are _those things?_" the ohaguro-bettari, the only spiritual creature, save for the shikigami, left, stammeringly demanded.

The humble smile and politeness returned to the priest. "These are my two shikigami..." he stated, and pointed to the blue one, which bore a single horn on its head and two downward pointing tusks, "Zenki and..." pointing to the red one, having two horns and two upward pointing tusks "Kouki."

Hao frowned slightly with his next words. "I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this...Zenki, Kouki...take care of this."

The monster had no time to defend itself as Zenki's shield crashed into its face, knocking it off balance. Kouki followed up by cleaving through its torso with his ax. The death wail rang in the Onmyoji's ears even after it had ceased.

The two shikigami returned to their guardian positions, on each side of their master. The ohaguro-bettari had vanished, replaced with the maiden who served as its core soul. Her energy spent from her attack and taking the brunt of the shikigami's attacks, she was slowly fading, still glaring at the priest with contempt.

Hao returned her look with a serene smile. "I know about your past...Chiyoko Misora."

The girl's eyes widened at his words.

"I know how you were mistreated by your fiancee, and then he left before you were wed. In your grief, you decided that dying was the answer. However, in your despair, you became an ohaguro-bettari, and began to take these souls of those who entered this mansion to fuel your hatred. You even took the spirits of those two children who disturbed you three weeks ago."

"I'm...sorry. I'm so, so sorry," the maiden choked out, first to Hao, then to the numerous souls spread throughout the room, tears streaming down her face.

Hao continued to smile. "I'll not lie to you. Because of your transgressions, your journey will be a hard one. However, I believe the Great Spirit will be understanding. You _will_ find happiness on the other side. I'm sure of it."

She at last halfway returned the priest's smile. "Thank you," she sincerely stated before fading away. The surrounding spirits, no longer tied to the world followed soon after.

* * *

Stepping out onto the veranda and sliding the shoji shut behind him, the priest chanced a look at his clothes. They were absolutely filthy. It was hard to see that they were supposed to be white from the dirt and grime caked onto them from his wanderings within the building. Hao frowned slightly.

"Hey, young fella! You make it back alright?"

He glanced up to see the old monk waving at him across the yard. Chuckling slightly, he assured the man. "Yes, yes, I seem to have made it back in one piece."

The man rushed up to the base of the steps. "You were in there so long, I thought I was going to have to come in there and get you!"

The Onmyoji's eyebrows perked and he looked up at the sky. The moon was still looming in the sky, but he could see the onset of dawn on the horizon. He raised his hand to rub the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. "Heh, I suppose I was in there a little longer than I had expected."

"You're darn straight you were!" the old monk shot back, before glancing around. He had finally taken notice as to just how close to the house he actually was. "Wait, that wall's gone! You took care of it?"

Hao nodded. "Of course. I had no intention of walking out of that building unless I had succeeded."

They had walked back down the hillside in relative silence. It was silence on Hao's part, at least. The old man was content to talk of his service to the area and how it had changed greatly since he was younger, even though it was still heavily rural.

Reaching the foot, the Onmyoji was in the process of saying goodbye to his colleague when he heard a wail ring out.

"You damned demon cat! Get off me! AHHHH, THAT HURTS!"

While their lord had engaged on his excursion, Jiro and Taiki had taken the liberty to free Matamune from the cart, and now Taiki was paying for it. At first trying to break away from the two escorts, the cat was blocked by Jiro so, seeing it as his only option, the feline, in a burst of energy attacked Taiki. The cat had run up the man's leg and was sinking his pointed teeth into the escort's face when the Onmyoji walked up.

"And just what exactly are you two fools doing?" Hao inquired with a sigh.

The two immediately bowed, Matamune still dangling from Taiki's nose. "I-it's nothing m'lord!"

"Ah, of course. Just put Matamune back where he was, alright?" he commanded with another sigh.

"Oh, make sure you collect your pay. My lord said he was going to pay well for removing this nuisance to his villagers," the aged monk reminded Hao.

Jiro and Taiki's eyes lit up at the sound of payment. "Oh? Is that so, m'lord?" they inquired.

Hao closed his eyes. "You've only heard as much as I. I know no more than you do."

The two of them grinned. "Boy oh boy, a handsome reward!" Jiro exclaimed. "It'll make the hell that cat put me through worth it!" Taiki added.

Hao bore an exasperated look. "I can still hear you two..." The two bowed once more.

"At any rate, the first place we are going is home." He looked at his clothes once more. "I'm in no presentable shape to a lord and, quite frankly, I'd like to go to sleep," he announced as he clamored back into his cart. Hao waved a farewell to the old monk before sliding down the blind on the window.

Feeling the cart lurch forward once again, he leaned his head back, resting it against the cart's wall, as Matamune reclaimed his comfortable bed in his master's lap.

* * *

I know that an ohaguro-bettari typically just scares people as opposed to killing them, but I decided I would take a few liberties with the creature, this being my fanfic and whatnot.


	3. Golden Days

_He was falling. Falling into nothing. Everything was black and the only way he knew he was falling was through the very sensation itself. As he looked around the void, something fell passed his face. Focusing harder, he saw what it had been as another fell by him: a feather._

_Glancing around again, he saw that they were raining down in all directions. Some where very small bird down, others appeared larger, some even as large and multicolored as the feathers of the peacock he had heard of._

_He was caught off guard when one fell in front of his face and remained there. Caught in freefall, there was nothing he could do as the feather began to trace itself around the tip of his nose. _

"_W-wait a mi- Ah-hahaha! Stop that! Th-That tickles!"_

_The feathers began grouping together, moving all around his face._

"_Ah, no! C'mon, stop, dammit! Hahahahaaaa!"_

…

Hao's eyes snapped open, but his vision was obscured. All he could see was yellow. Worse of all, whatever it was, it was fluffy.

Unbeknownst to himself, Matamune continued to swipe his tail through the Onmyoji's face. He had found the blanket covering Hao's chest to be far more comfortable than the wooden floor, and was now lost in dreaming about whatever it was that cats dreamed about.

Being removed from the grasp of sleep, he sat up suddenly, causing the cat to tumble into his lap. Hissing, Matamune jumped to the floor beside the futon.

Rubbing his right eye, he looked at the cat with his left. "Ah, my apologies, Matamune."

The feline paced around a moment before settling back onto the crumpled blanket beside Hao, causing him to chuckle. He contented himself with scratching behind his companion's ears before a yell pierced the silence.

"HAAAAAAOOOOOOOO!"

A young girl of seven years came rushing into the room, followed by a boy of eight. Hao was standing by this point.

"What, what is it?"

The girl pointed at the boy, tears welling up in her eyes. "Daisuke said I was never going to become a good Shaman!" Daisuke held up his hands and shook his head.

The Onmyoji walked up to her, patting her on the head. "There there, Aiko, I'm sure Daisuke was only teasing you. Isn't that right, Daisuke?"

Daisuke was quick to agree. "Er, um, y-yeah, I was just teasing you, Aiko. No need to be a baby about it," he stated pointedly, but she had forgotten he was even in the room.

"What a cute kitty!" the girl exclaimed, lifting Matamune off the ground. "Where did you get him, Hao?"

Daisuke stepped forward, smacking her in the back of the head, both to remind her of his presence and to reprimand her. "Aiko! How many times do you have to be told to call him 'dad?' He's the one who took us in, so you could at least show him a little respect, right _dad_?"

Hao brought his hand to his chin. "Well, I _did _technically adopt you guys..." he mused, before raising his hands alarmingly. "But no, no, you don't have to call me 'dad.' I'm far too young to be a father! Plus, I've taken in people who are older than me, and they don't call me their father. That would just be strange. My only rule was to change your last name to 'Asakura,' you know that." He threw his hands in the air, mocking an exasperated shrug. "A man has to start a family some way."

With Matamune tightly clutched to her chest, Aiko triumphantly stuck her tongue out at Daisuke, causing him to scowl back at her.

Daisuke perked up. "Oh, that's right. You're going to be here for tomorrow's lesson, right da- er, Hao?"

The Onmyoji chuckled. "Hey, I may be busy often and sleep in from time to time, but a promise is a promise; training twice a week."

The boy pumped his fist in the air. "Alright! I'll show you how much better I am, Aiko!" he excitedly shouted, dashing out the door.

Hao held his hand up. "I don't train you so that you can-" he had attempted to say, but Daisuke was long gone. He sighed. "Ah. Oh well..." He decided to focus his attention on the girl instead. Smiling at her, he inquired "Aiko, would you mind releasing my friend?"

She stared at him in puzzlement for a moment before realizing he was speaking of the feline still crushed against her. Pouting, she placed the cat down, which made a beeline behind his master's legs.

The Onmyoji chuckled. "Thank you. Oh, would you mind telling Taiki and Jiro to get the preparations ready? I suppose I need to collect my pay for last night's assignment."

Aiko brightened. "Sure thing, Hao!" she shouted, rushing out the door.

Hao smiled. "Such energy. What a wondrous thing."

Stepping over to his wardrobe, he began selecting his Onmyoji clothing selected for the day, piece by piece. Having gathered the necessary layers, he stepped behind his elaborately painted byobu, a gift given to him for his services, decorated with the scenes of the foot of a mountain. A stream started midway from the leftmost panel and flowed across the bottom of the next three. A cherry tree stood on the right bank, in full bloom. A multicolored bird was nestled in the tree's branches while a rabbit feasted on the grass on the opposite bank. The fifth and rightmost panel was decorated with the gray boulders of the mountain.

Satisfied with his dress, the priest stepped out to face the world, his feline companion following closely behind.

As he walked out onto his veranda, he gazed around his estate's courtyard, Matamune rubbing around his legs. At it's center, he could see Haruki, Katsuro, and Megumi, three others he had taken in to join his "family," were all meditating. Focusing on their Shaman training, he assumed. In the far left corner, he could hear the beating and banging of the worker he had hired to build additions to his mansion. Times were hard, and the priest did what he could to lessen the burden the people had to suffer. Taking some of them in and giving others a job was the least he could do.

Taking a left turn, he nearly ran into a elderly man, appearing to be at least in his seventies, nearly knocking the cane out of his hand.

"Oh, Master Hao, my apologies!" the old man stammered, regaining his balance.

"No, Shinobu, it's fine. It was my fault for not watching where I was going, not yours," the priest said with a bow. He continued with small talk, just to engage in pleasantries. "I assume you will participate in this tomorrows's training?"

"Ahaha, of course I will," Shinobu chuckled. "I'm interested to see what comes next now that I understand hyoui-gattai."

Hao smiled. "Oh, you certainly will enjoy it, I promise that." He looked around. "Ah, and make sure you remind all the others to attend." Shinobu nodded.

Across the courtyard, he noticed Jiro waving to him, showing that preparations were complete and the cart was ready to depart. Excusing himself from the old man, he paced over towards his guard. Suddenly realizing his error, he half-turned to face his veranda. Matamune was patiently sitting at its edge, lazily staring at the priest.

"Ah, do you wish to stay, Matamune?"

The cat's ears perked up and he immediately dashed towards his friend.

* * *

Having taken the majority of the day to reach the neighboring region, the sun was setting as the cart came to a halt in front of the gates of the local lord's castle. Hao silently stepped out of the cart, Matamune following suit. Feeling the chill of the autumn air, the Onmyoji drew his pure white kariginu closer around his neck.

The three gate guards knew who their guest was and made haste in opening the gate for him. "We've been expecting you, Lord Onmyoji. Please, enter."

Hao obliged them, stepping over the threshold, his two guards and feline entourage not far behind. Leaving two to remain at the gate, the third guard tasked himself with leading the group through the courtyard up to the main door and to serve as an announcer of their arrival.

"Ah, Lord Abe, your guest, the Lord Onmyoji, Hao Asakura has arrived."

A muffled "Send him in!" was somewhat heard through the large door.

The lord eyed the guard disapprovingly when it was revealed the priest had a group with him. He was expecting only one guest, not three. Lord Abe first glanced at the priest, then to the chair set out for him. "Do sit down."

Abe was sitting behind a rather large wooden desk. He appeared to be calculating his finances. The lord was quite obviously very wealthy, as he had four samurai guards in his employ, who were usually in the service of daimyo. Two of them stood to each side of the desk.

Hao took the offered seat as the lord continued. "Now then, about your payment..."

"Yes, a handsome reward!" Taiki said, a little louder than intended. He quickly covered his mouth upon realizing how vocal he had been.

The ensuing silence allowed for the detection of a seemingly humming sound. Leaning forward, Abe peered over his desk. Slinking around the priest's feet, Matamune was eliciting a purr as he marked his territory: the lower half of Hao's legs.

Abe cleared his throat more audibly than necessary and settled back in his seat. "As I was trying to say, about your payment... For your services, I'd like to reward you with five koku."

"Five koku?" both Jiro and Taiki exclaimed in unison. "That's not enough to feed half the people at Lord Hao's estate! What happened to his 'handsome' reward?"

The samurai immediately placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, slightly drawing them out of their sheathes. Seeing this, Hao's two guardians returned the gesture. Matamune hissed, his yellowed fur bristling. Lord Abe eyed the Onmyoji coldly, leaving the fate of the situation up to him.

Hao presented his trademark smile. Rising from his seat, the priest held his hands towards Jiro and Taiki, a nonverbal gesture for them to stay their weapons. Following a few more tense moments, they complied. The samurai eventually did the same, though remaining wary.

"I humbly accept my payment. I sincerely thank you, Lord Abe," the priest said with a bow.

"_Be glad that I'm paying you anything,_" Abe's voice resounded in his head, a side effect of his reishi ability. "_It's always frauds like you who expect the most. Try actually contributing to society instead of running around with your fake 'magic' hocus pocus._"

The Onmyoji continued to smile at the lord.

"But Lord Hao!" his two guards protested. "That's not even enough to feed half of the family!"

The priest turned to the two of them. "That's why I'm always busy," he said pleasantly. "Plus, we have enough to get by and then some," he added.

Returning to Abe, he bowed to the lord. "I thank you for your hospitality, Lord Abe, but I must be on my way. If you are ever in need of my services again, please, do not hesitate to call. I'll come running."

"Oh, I'll certainly keep that in mind, Sir Onmyoji. Do have a safe trip," the noble replied, feigning niceties.

"_Of course you'd want to come back, expecting more pay. No, I don't think I'll need the services of any more fakes._"

Turning to walk out the door, Jiro and Taiki behind him, Hao's smile faded.

* * *

Ducking to avoid knocking off his eboshi, Hao stepped into his courtyard. The inn he had spent the night at was a little less than accommodating, so he had caught up on his sleep during the ride home.

Not a second had he entered his courtyard before Daisuke and Aiko were upon him.

"HAAAOOO!" they shouted as they dove into his arms. "We thought you were never going to show up!"

"But, I was only gone for the night," he said, perplexed. "Plus, it's still morning."

"We know, but we've been waiting forever to train!"

The priest smiled. "I know, I know. Go and get Shinobu and help him inform everyone. We'll begin training at noon."

"Alright, we will, but you'd better not slack off and forget!" they called over their shoulders.

He sulked a little. "When have I ever let you down...?" he mused to no one. Matamune rammed his head against Hao's right leg. Reaching down and sliding his hands under the feline's forelegs, the Onmyoji lifted his friend to face him. "Well, at least you still have faith in me, right?" The cat mewed happily.

Content with the reply, the priest paced back to his cart, where his escorts were struggling with unloading Hao's "handsome reward."

"Oh, um, Jiro, Taiki, could you to reload those two koku?" They sighed, causing him to grin. "Well, it's just that I have something else that I wish to use them for." The two guards exchanged confused looks, but complied with their lord's wishes.

Hao walked over to the ox and, taking it by the reins, coaxed it into following him. "Now then, would you two care to come along?" They both shrugged and fell in behind the cart.

The cart was led around the right corner of the estate before coming to a halt. The seven workers Hao had hired to add to his mansion were hard at work on the outer wall. Seeing the lord of the building standing before them, they abruptly stopped, looking bewildered.

The Onmyoji gave them a broad smile and waved. "Hello, gentlemen. I certainly appreciate the hard work you've been doing to this place. However, I have this problem, you see." He gestured over at his cart, feigning an uninterested face. "For a recent job I received this payment of seven koku but, well, I simply can't eat that much." Therefore, I'd like to give it to you" Their faces lit up. It was only enough for a single person for a year, but still, divided amongst their family, it would still last a while.

Taiki and Jiro hurried up to Hao. "But sir," they whispered, "you were only paid with five koku."

Seeing the workers growing apprehensive at the three men whispering amongst themselves, Hao smiled. "Ah, so you accidentally unloaded two koku before I stopped you, eh, Jiro?" he said, loud enough for the workers to hear. He then gave an exaggerated shrug. "Well then, I suppose you'll just have to fetch them from storage, hm?" He turned back to the guards and winked.

The two caught on immediately. "Um, y-yes, that's right. We apologize, Lord Hao."

Continuing the charade, Hao chuckled. "Oh, it's fine. Just make sure that you get them out of the storehouse. For now, just write down these hard working men's addresses so you'll know where to deliver their payment."

As Taiki and Jiro went about writing down addresses, the priest took the opportunity to slink back to his courtyard.

* * *

Before him sat the adopted members of his family in the courtyard's garden. In the very front were Daisuke, Aiko, Haruki, Katsuro, and Megumi, all eagerly awaiting the day's lessons. Shinobu was resting against a large rock placed in the garden as, if he were to sit down, he always had trouble getting back up, old age not being a friend of his.

With the training session about to begin, Matamune found a nearby rock to curl up on, deciding to take a nap for the time being.

"Alright then," Hao stated, "first, let's see how you've improved with the ko-Oni strike. You can sit this part out, Shinobu."

Daisuke and Aiko were the first to step up. Daisuke focused his furyoku on a few fallen leaves while Aiko decided to use stones as her medium. A translucent white energy emerged from the ground around both the leaves and stones, engulfing them in the process. The energy took a spherical shape, with pointed protrusions serving as limbs and ears. The creation of the mini shikigami was complete.

When all was said and done, Aiko had managed to create two shikigami opposed to Daisuke's five.

"See, Aiko, I told you I could do better than you!" Daisuke teased.

A numerous amount of the same shikigami as his, at least one hundred, surrounded Daisuke. As he looked around, he noticed Hao's outstretched hand, controlling the creatures.

"It doesn't pay to be arrogant, Daisuke. Pride can blind you to realizing your true potential. Plus, whether you like it or not, there will always be someone more powerful than you." The Onmyoji released his focus, banishing the shikigami he had created. "That's all I wanted to point out to you."

As he looked around, he saw the varying numbers of shikigami the members of his family had summoned. He was impressed with the results. "Now we're going to do a little sparring. I want the first two rows and the last two rows to pair up. Practice battling your shikigami while I show something to Shinobu." The front row of Daisuke, Aiko, Katsuro, Megumi, and Haruki were paired with the row behind them, consisiting of Asuka, Gorou, Kiku, Ryota, and Takeshi.

With everyone arranged into their sparring groups, Hao turned to Shinobu. "So, ready for the next step?"

The old man hobbled forward. "Haha, of course, Yamato and I are ready for anything." As the words were said, the spirit of a warrior wearing light armor and bearing a straight sword, appeared behind Shinobu. Finding his balance, Shinobu held up his cane and pulled it apart to reveal a straight sword hidden inside of it.

Hao nodded. "Good. Now, you know that when using hyoui-gattai, you enter somewhat of a trance that allows your companion spirit to exhibit his or her skills that they had when living. However, with the next phase there are a few options. You can either allow the spirit full control, dominate the spirit, or attempt to sync with the spirit. I'm going to teach you the sync method, as the other two are quite limiting. Now, initiate hyoui-gattai."

Shinobu did as he was told. Focusing his furyoku, Yamato formed into a blue sphere in the man's hand. The sphere bore some of Yamato's characteristics, such as his face and short hair.

"Alright, when you implant Yamato into your sword," Hao continued, "use your furyoku to access his memories, and use them to bring him to the physical world."

Shinobu concentrated as hard as he could, pushing the sphere into the blade of his weapon. It resulted in the sword emitting a faint glow, the impression given off by a hyoui-gattai.

"No, that's not quite it. You didn't sync with him, did you?"

The old man shook his head. "I thought I had at first, but I lost it."

The Onmyoji nodded, while taking a quick glance at the sparring matches, to make sure they hadn't gotten out of hand. "It's fine. You just learned something new, so you can't be expected to do perfectly on your first try." Being able to remember his previous form, Yamato reappeared beside Shinobu. No worries, so try again," Hao told them.

Shinobu prepared his hyoui-gattai once more, placing it in his sword. As he did so, visions of a battle between two armies flashed in his mind. He focused on these visions, knowing that they were Yamato's memories, and metally placed himself in his spirit's shoes.

With the action complete, some of Yamato's features had implanted themselves over the old man's body. His sword was once again aglow with energy, while his arms now bore glowing arm guards and on his chest was Yamato's wooden chest plate. On his feet were Yamato's boots, allowing the Shinobu to stand with perfect balance, as if he were a younger man.

Hao clapped his hands together. "Very good! What you now see is known as an over soul. It implements the shaman's furyoku and is far superior to the use of only hyoui-gattai." His eyes perked. "Ah, and there are other forms of an over soul. This is just the first step. However, additional training will be required to reach the next levels, which I will explain in a moment." The Onmyoji grinned. "You catch on quickly, Shinobu."

The old man chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, if only I had known this about fifty years ago...heheh."

Hao chuckled as well. "Better late than never, no?"

"Oh, most definitely."

The priest turned, focusing his energy on his other "students." Most of them had stopped, completely exasperated from the strain of the training. Only Daisuke and Aiko remained at the center of the group, Daisuke having three shikigami at his disposal and Aiko with only one.

"Told ya I was good at this!" Daisuke taunted playfully without teasing, Hao's lesson still echoing in his head.

"Don't count me out just yet!" Aiko countered. "I'm trying something new!"

"Ha, talk isn't going to settle it, so let's do this!" Daisuke exclaimed, sending his shikigami in for the attack. Hao watched attentively.

Aiko's single spirit moved in quickly, tearing the leaf out of Daisuke's middle shikigami. As his other two turned to face it, Aiko's shikigami dealt them the same blow. Daisuke was dumbfounded and attempted to conjure up more spirits, but his energy was spent and he sank to the ground. Aiko followed suit, unable to hold up the focus needed to keep the shikigami intact. Hao clapped his hands.

Daisuke was astounded. "Hao, what happened. I had more than she did!"

The Onmyoji smiled. "Well, you had dispersed your energy out among the three. Aiko, however, focused her energy into a single shikigami. While both methods are very useful, in your weakened state, you only had numbers on your side, which can easily be defeated with one powerful force." Daisuke sat in silence.

"Now," the priest announced, "the next step in your training. This step will be very difficult. You see, when a shaman has a near death experience and recovers, his or her furyoku will increase exponentially. Granted, I'm not telling you to go out and try to live through a suicide attempt. I won't condone that and will in fact disown you if you do try it. No, there are other methods to reaching this state. One way this can be gained through meditation to induce a trance. Another way is to travel through the Yomi Cave, a place that I found during my own training. It is a place which robs you of all your senses, leaving in a deathlike state. It also takes seven days to pass through, contributing to the feeling of death. I intend to send the strongest of you there while the others remain here to meditate until they are strong enough to take the challenge."

Apprehensive murmurs passed through the group as they discussed their options.

"That makes for the end of today's training session. It's only going to get harder from here on." Still solemn, the Onmyoji turned to walk into his mansion before seemingly realizing he had forgotten something. "Oh, and good job. I'm _very_ proud of all of you," he said over his shoulder.

Matamune, having woken up a few minutes before the session ended, got up to chase after his friend.

* * *

a/n: Not much action in this chapter since I wanted to flesh out the beginnings of the Asakura family. I'll make up for that in the next chapter, though.


	4. Dance With the Devil

Autumn slowly faded into winter. The members of the family strong enough to enter the Yomi Cave did so while those who didn't make the cut were to use their skills with shikigami to guard the estate. Those able to succeed through the trial of the cave were allowed to proceed to the next step: obtaining a companion spirit. Hao had sent them out into the world, tasking them with finding and befriending a spirit. Out of those sent, so far only two had returned; Katsuro, bringing along the spirit of a previous imperial guard named Daiki, and Ryota, returning with the spirit of a kunoichi named Emi.

The extensions to the estate were, for the most part, complete. After spring came, there would be more additions if only for the sake of having a way for the poor to be paid, Hao had decided.

The day had seen winter's first snow and things had slowed down at the Asakura mansion because of it. Jiro and Taiki were the busiest, as usual, this time clearing the snow from the courtyard and around the gate, taking time to throw a snowball or two at each other every now and then.

Fires had been carefully lit in the various rooms of the estate, giving it a cozy feel. Hao was sitting in front of his personal fire in his room. He had pulled a loose string from his pants and was now dangling it above Matamune's face. The cat, noticing it swinging back and forth, rolled onto his back and began to swat at it, much to the priest's amusement.

He could hear the thumping and yelling before the people burst through his door. A young man, obviously a messenger by trade, collapsed onto the room's hard wooden floor, followed by a barrage of snowballs raining down. Jiro and Taiki, apparently the masterminds behind the bombardment, were running across the courtyard, hands on their swords, yelling at the man. Jumping nearly two feet in the air, Matamune made a dive underneath the blanket covering Hao's futon.

The messenger gasped for breath. "Lo...Lord...Asa...kura...I...I apolo...gize for...my...in...trusion...but...I must...give you...this..." The man stretched his arm out to Hao, handing him a folded parchment. Taking it, Hao attempted to steady the man. "Um...thank you, but, wouldn't you prefer to collapse near the fire, instead of here, in the cold?"

The young man waved his hand, a sign saying "I'm fine. I'm still alive but really don't have the energy or desire to move."

The Onmyoji shrugged. "Ah. Then, uh, make yourself at home." Matamune tentatively poked his head out from under the blanket, cautiously studying the situation.

Hao returned his attention to the piece of paper. Breaking its wax binding, revealing it to be a letter. His first order of business was to see who had sent him the parchment at such a time. The priest's eyes widened when he saw the signer: Emperor Ichijo. He had been to the Imperial Palace twice, but that was in passing, as he had never formally met the Emperor.

The letter appeared to be a request.

_Sir Onmyoji,_

_First and foremost, I do apologize for this unorthodox letter. However, this is a matter of the utmost urgency. _

_A man only known as the "Sword God" has shown up to cause trouble; my intelligence network has not been able to collect much more information than that._

_Regardless, I will present you with what we __**do**__ know._

_All we know of his past is that he was born here in the empire. At some time, he left to travel the world, apparently learning to use many types of swords and fighting styles in the process. He carries many different swords with him. Now he has returned to cause problems._

_He is currently residing at the summit of Mount Hiei, where he has taken the monks of the Enryaku-ji temple as his hostages. Not even the temple's warrior monks were able to stand up to him. We are not sure of what his goal is, but his only demand so far has been to face the strongest warrior the empire can produce. He says that if his demand is not met, he will destroy the temple and perform the same actions to the Capital. _

_I am sure that you do not consider your profession to be very warrior like, but you may take interest in this: my network reports that he has used strange methods to conquer the temple. It was reported as seeming to be a type of magic. _

_That is why I decided to request this task of you. I have heard many tales of your skills and services in the surrounding areas. As his abilities seem similar to what I have heard of yours, I could think of no one better suited to this task than the Onmyoji Hao Asakura. _

_That is why I ask, no, I implore you: please, come to the aid of the empire._

_Ichijo_

Hao refolded the letter and slid it into the sleeve of his kimono. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his right hand, he contemplated his predicament. Certainly, he couldn't just abandon the empire, but this wasn't a typical job.

"_Hm...abilities similar to mine... Could he be...a shaman?_"

Standing abruptly, he glanced over at Jiro and Taiki, who were attempting to drag the messenger out into the snow. "I'm going to need the two of you to prepare the cart. Make sure you stock up on supplies, but do hurry."

They both nodded and pointed at the messenger. "What about him?" then, pointing to the broken shoji, "and what about _that_?"

The Onmyoji thought for a moment. "Inform Shinobu of this 'accident.' I'm sure he can arrange to have it fixed while we are away. Oh, and tell him to be certain that Matamune is taken care of in my absence. He turned to look at the cat, who in turn regarded him with puzzlement. "I apologize, my friend, but you have not recovered from your ailments, and I fear that this weather is absolutely not suited for you. Do not worry, I will be back soon enough." Hao smiled. "Until then, just remain warm and cozy. As for you..." he said, grabbing the young man by the collar and hoisting him to his feet, "My apologies for interrupting your rest, but I'm afraid I need you to come along, as well."

Taiki and Jiro rushed to complete their errands as the priest towed the messenger along as he stepped out into the winter wind.

* * *

The path was eerily silent, the only sounds present being the occasional howl of the frozen wind and the crunch of the snow beneath his feet. In the few days it had taken to make the trip, Hao had sent the messenger ahead to the Capital in order to request lodging for Jiro and Taiki while the priest completed his assignment. Permission was hastily granted and the two were currently residing at the Imperial Palace, much to their pleasure, no doubt.

He silently paced along the long path, leading to the top of the mountain and the entrance of the temple, calculating what he would do once he reached his destination. So lost in his thoughts was he that he didn't notice reaching the summit, nearly running into the Enryaku-ji's door. Hao took a step back to glance around. The spirituality of the area was so thick he felt as if he was breathing it. The place was ripe with furyoku.

The priest pushed it open as silently as he possible could, not wanting to draw attention just yet.

"Why, I'm happy to see that you're finally here!" a stern voice called out.

Stepping out into the main grounds of the temple complex, Hao saw a man of a moderately slender build. He stood at least a foot taller than the Onmyoji, was obviously older by at least ten years, and had a considerable muscle tone. The only thing covering his torso was an old metal chest plate. The green pants the man wore were quite tattered, ending just below his knees. Hao noticed the boot's covering the man's feet were obviously not from his country.

The man eyed him with disdain. "Hm? What kind of a joke is this?" His eyes perked up as an idea hit him. "I'm going to assume that you were unfortunate enough to visit the temple at this time," he said while pointing to one of the temple's buildings behind him. "So, I'm going to have to ask you to step inside this building here and keep quiet."

Hao smiled. "No, no, that's not it, at all. I was actually sent here by the Emperor himself. Here's the thing, though. I'm not that much for fighting, so I was hoping I could perhaps serve as a go-between for you and Lord Ichijo."

The man burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, there's no way the Emperor could send _you_, unless he's grown senile! What does he intend for you to do, 'bless' me to death? Hahaha!"

The Onmyoji's smile widened. "No, I'm afraid blessings don't work that way."

The man chuckled slightly. "I suppose not. Still, you're going to have to enter this building behind me...or I'm going to kill you."

The priest frowned. "Well, I certainly can't allow that to happen. But I can't go into that temple, either. I really was sent by Emperor Ichijo. Do I need to prove that?"

"So be it," the man stated, drawing a sword from his back. The blade appeared to be nearly a foot and a half long and was wide, growing slightly narrower from the midpoint to the end. In the quick glimpse of it Hao had, the handle appeared to be wrapped in black silk. The sword appeared to be of Chinese origin.

The man charged. Closing the distance between the two of them, he leaped forward, thrusting the sword out in the process, aiming at the priest's midsection. "Stupid priest, you should have stayed at your shrine, helping people with 'ghosts!'"

The blade wasn't able to make it to the priest. A blue ogre with a single horn in the middle of its forehead and two downward pointing tusks from its mouth had appeared in front of him, blocking the point of the blade with its shield.

The man became excited. "Hm, that's interesting. I'd like to know the name of my opponent, if you don't mind."

The priest grinned. "It's Hao Asakura. Now, I've told you mine, you can show me the same courtesy."

The man chuckled. "I cast off my name a long time ago. You may call me the Sword God."

He then turned his attention to the ogre. "Ah, so this must be what a shikigami is! I had heard that you priest employed them, but I thought that was all just country bumpkin superstition!"

Hao smiled, pleased. "No, they are very much real." He pointed to the ogre. "This is my shikigami, Zenki. But, what I want to know is, how did that sword withstand the impact?" He had walked around the side of his shikigami. The sword's point was resting against the surface of the ogre's shield, not a scratch on either item.

It was the man's turn to laugh. "Because, this is the Sword of Goujian!"

Hao's eyes widened. "From the Yue dynasty in China?"

The man grinned. "The very one. This sword is over 1500 years old! It's magicked blade can't be shattered so easily!" Following an unvoiced command, Zenki slammed forward, forcing the man to slide backwards. He was not deterred however. "This sword was even created for the legendary king himself! Right...Goujian?"

As the Onmyoji stared in wonder, the spirit of an ancient Chinese warlord appeared behind the man. The spirit was dressed head to foot in battle armor. Scratches and minor cleaves graced nearly every inch of the armor, showing the culminating magnitude of the battles he faced when alive.

"You're a shaman!" the priest exclaimed.

Smirking, the man affirmed the statement. "Indeed. But so are you, so it's fine. Let's get on with this."

Standing in awe, the priest watched as the swordsman formed a hyoui-gattai with the warlord, transfusing him into the blade of the weapon that once belonged to him. The sword immediately began to glow with a faint red energy and the warlord's shoulder and shin guards appeared over the man. "Let's go, Goujian!"

With increased ferocity, the swordsman lunged at the priest, who gave a wave of his hand. Zenki immediately dashed forward, meeting the Sword God head on. The ogre continually slammed its shield against the swordsman's blade, but it wouldn't give way. Not seeing any other option, the shikigami began to lash out with its fists, its hardened knuckles not being cut by the sword.

The two combatants continued trading blows in this manner until the blue shikigami gained the upper hand. Lashing out with a powerful blow against the blade, the ogre was able to knock the weapon out of the swordsman's hand, sending it spinning until it stuck in the ground, yards away. The shikigami followed up with a punch to his chest, sending him flying backwards.

Hao gave him a look of concern. "Do you wish to talk this out now?"

The swordsman began to chuckle. "Did you forget these other swords on my back? This is far from being finished."

Reaching behind himself with both hands, he drew two more swords from their sheathes. In his left hand, he held a wide-bladed shortsword. "I highly doubt that you have ever heard of this sword," the man stated. "It is known as Durendal. I came into contact with it when I visited the land of Europe, in the Holy Roman Empire. This sword was believed to only exist in legends but, I assure, it is certainly real."

In his right hand was a menacing looking weapon. It appeared to be a solid piece of metal, consisting of a handle slightly over a foot long, and ending in a wickedly curved hook. "And this," he said, regarding the sword, "is a sickle sword, better known as a khopesh. This weapon fell out of favor two and a half millennia ago and was nearly forgotten. However, I discovered murals depicting the weapon when I ventured into the ancient land of Egypt and decided that I wished to revive it."

Immediately following, the spirits attached to each weapon made themselves known. The light green energies surrounding Durendal began to coalesce, forming a knightly figure. Upon seeing the priest as his opponent, the knight bowed to him. Hao gave the spirit a friendly nod, returning the sentiment. The swordsman gestured towards the spirit. "This is Cecil, a knight who once chanced upon the Durendal much in the same way that I did."

The golden energy swirling about the khopesh began to bend and contort, until they took on the shape of a large bird. It gradually started to condense, growing smaller and smaller before taking the form of a human. As the features began to fill in, the shape became that of an Egyptian warrior priest. "And this," the Sword God stated, motioning to the newly formed spirit, "is Hondo."

He continued. "I do apologize, but I feel it necessary that I at least explain a little about these weapons."

The priest shook his head. "It's perfectly fine. Personally, I enjoy the history lesson. It is quite fascinating."

The man grinned. "Ah, good. Let's continue, then."

Kicking against the ground, the swordsman rocketed himself forward, crossing his weapons in the process. Zenki charged as well, shield at the ready. The Sword God met the ogre with full force, striking out with Durendal, as the shikigami thrust its shield in front of it.

Blade and shield collided thunderously, stopping the momentum of each dead. Using the sword's tip against the flat shield as a point of balance, the man pushed off, spinning to his left as he did so. Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, he extended with his right arm, grabbing the priest's right shoulder with the hook. Its point tore across the Onmyoji's flesh as the swordsman pulled his weapon back to him.

Hao couldn't stifle the grunt that escaped him. Zenki, catching on at once, slammed the shield into the side of the man's head, knocking him back. As the priest peered around his shikigami, he saw that the swordsman was unharmed. Foreseeing the attack, the man initiated his over soul at the last second. Cecil's glowing armor now covered his entire body, protecting him from attack.

The Sword God smirked. "And this is only the first step." The golden energy emanating from the khopesh extended itself to swirl about the swordsman. They converged at the man's back, extending outwards to each side, forming wings. "Look, Hao Asakura! These are the golden wings of Ra, the Sun God!" he shouted as he lifted from the ground, the wings granting him the ability to hover.

"Hm, that's an interesting ability," Hao noted, clutching his shoulder.

"Ha, that's not even the half of it," the swordsman said. "I'll give you one last chance to go into the temple."

Hao smiled. "Pass."

The man smirked. "Fine."

Concentrating his furyoku on his immobile wings, he propelled himself forward. Weaving around the shikigami, the swordsman lashed out at Hao, who was barely able to dodge the full force of the strike. Regardless, the priest still took a shallow cut across his upper left leg.

Try as it might, there was nothing Zenki could do. The man always hovered just out of reach before dive-bombing at the priest to attack, before quickly regaining altitude. The ogre was dumbfounded to the point of simply looking from side to side, not knowing quite what to do.

"_Remain calm, Zenki,_" the priest's voice resounded in the ogre's head. "_Just stay next to me and wait for the command._" The shikigami did as it was told.

Following previous patterns, the Sword God swooped in to attack once more, seeing an opening between the priest and ogre.

"_Now!_"

Extending its arms, the ogre managed to grab the man around his ankles. Tightening its grip, the shinigami slung him backwards, slamming the swordsman into the ground with tremendous force. Dazed, the man rolled onto his stomach, struggling to regain his bearings.

"I'm sorry," Hao began, "but I'm going to have to clip your wings." Not giving the swordsman time to react, a red shinigami, almost an exact duplicate in build to Zenki but having two horns and upward pointing tusks, attacked. Using two quick strokes of its ax, the new shikigami cleanly cut the two wings off at their point of origin.

The swordsman laughed aloud. "So, you had another one at your disposal. That's rather underhanded!"

The priest offered an apologetic smile. "Well, I had actually underestimated you. I didn't think you would have so many skills at your disposal." Hao motioned to the red ogre. "This is Kouki, another shikigami of mine. I can assure you, he is the last one under my control."

Kouki added to the statement by slamming the blade of its ax down, slicing Durendal in half. Zenki continued the trend by slamming its shield down as hard as it could, grinding the upper half of the swordsman's khopesh into dust.

The two ogres followed up with kicking the man, sending him flying through the wall of the building behind him. Hao called his shikigami back over to him.

Slowly, the man reemerged from the hole he had made. Blood was streaming down his face and he was holding another sword in his left hand, obviously drawn from the sheathe hanging from his left hip. Both he and the weapon were surrounded by a purple glow.

"Hmph, I'm glad I was able to pull this a little before I hit that wall." The blade of the weapon was curved greatly forward, with the cutting edge on the inside of the curve. "This weapon is known as a falx. This weapon was obtained near Greece. I've heard that various cultures in the land wield this type of sword, but I obtained this one in Thrace. The Thracians were a warrior culture; they revered their fighters above all others. This blade belonged to a warrior named Gerome, who was so attached to his fighting way of life, that he remained bound to the weapon after his physical life came to an end. Plus, they knew how to protect the body," the swordsman added, turning to reveal the shield that had formed on his back, defending him from the bone-breaking impact of hitting the building.

With his right hand, the swordsman slid the sword from his right hip's sheathe. The sword appeared to be at least half a foot longer than the khopesh he had previously held, with a long, slender blade. There was no hand guard and the handle was white, giving it the appearance of being made of bone.

"And this sword is called a dha. I acquired it on a visit to the vast Indian subcontinent. It once belonged to a headhunter of the Naga people, named Naajy. His way of life was incredibly dangerous. As such, he had to devise many ways of defending himself. Now, having his spirit with me, those abilities are mine."

Hao's shoulder sagged a little. "I suppose this means you aren't going to want to talk now..."

The Sword God grinned. "Of course not. I'm nowhere near losing." Zenki and Kouki charged.

As the two ogres closed in on him, the man dashed forward, as well. He threw up his dha and slid it under the blade of Kouki's ax. Hooking the underside of it, he managed to lock it in place, preventing the ogre from using it against him. The swordsman continued by lashing out with his falx, at the moment Zenki threw its right fist, cutting the shikigami's arm off at the elbow. Twisting his wrist, he released the lock he had on the ax and, spinning, caught Kouki with the blade, above the left knee.

The ogres dissipated and, as they fell, the man charged through the mists they left in their wake, homing in on the priest.

Hao backpedaled to by a few more fractions of a second. "I'm surprised that you managed to break through my over soul," he said. "That's never happened before." His mind added, "_and it's going to __take a few seconds for me to bring it back._"

"Well, you've broken enough of mine. It's time I got a little payback!" the Sword God shouted, thrusting his dha at the priest.

Hao bit back a curse as he threw up his right hand in a sutra position, index and middle fingers pointed up with his ring and little fingers curved down and the thumb curled against his hand. Lines traced themselves into a five-pointed star in front of him. The various parts of the star were filled in with a glowing green light, Hao's furyoku.

The dha hit the star with full force, but couldn't penetrate it. In response, the man struck out his his falx, as well. Annoyed, he began a flurry of strikes against the makeshift shield, but did not seem to make any headway. That was until he noticed the priest's slightly labored breathing.

"_I'm going to need a bit of time to call back Zenki and Kouki. I can't concentrate on both that and maintaining a strong shield. It's going to be tough, but I'll either have to wait for an opening or divert enough furyoku to the task while hoping the shield remains resilient enough,_" Hao pondered as the man began to unleash another assault.

Under an unrelenting barrage, the shield began to weaken. Using considerable strength, the swordsman sliced with his falx, causing the first few inches of the blade to stab through the star.

Hao found his opening. "_There!_"

Focusing a quick burst of furyoku, he forced the shield to shatter outwards, using the spray to temporarily blind the man. Jumping back, the Onmyoji channeled his energy into the two talismans once more. The two ogres became a part of the physical plane again. At once, the shikigami put their revenge into action. With the man off guard, Zenke extended its shield, resting it against the flat side of the swordsman's falx. Catching on, Kouki swung its ax forward, connecting with the blade, and snapped it. The shield on the man's back faded away as the upper half of the sword fell to the ground.

The two ogres attempted to perform the same actions on the dha, but the man had regained his composure. Tossing aside the broken hilt, the Sword God focused on the blade he was still holding, using the speed its lightweight design gave him to fence off against Kouki's large ax.

Taking a few steps back to give himself some room, the Sword God stopped, staring off into the distance momentarily, as if in a daze. As if suddenly remembering something that should not have been forgotten in the first place, he held the dha out in front of him, waving it, giving the two ogres a sign to come at him. They complied.

Just as the two were upon him, preparing to take the man's head off, Zenki with a clothesline, Kouki with its ax, the swordsman ducked into a low crouching stance. As the shikigami overshot him, the man used all the strength in his legs to rocket himself upward. In the process, he dragged his blade along Kouki's back, neatly splitting the ogre in half. Following with a spinning horizontal slash, the man cleaved the top of Zenki's head off.

"That's the second time I've broken your shikigami, Hao. Maybe _you're_ the one who should be listening to _my_ demands."

"But I've never demanded anything from you..." Hao mused to himself.

Again focusing his energies, the Onmyoji summoned his two ogres back from the talismans.

"Not giving up yet, hm?" the Sword God taunted. "Works for me."

The ogres attacked in unison, Zenki in the lead, holding out its shield, and Kouki following close behind, its ax at the ready. Using the speed his Naga warrior spirit gave him, the swordsman dodged and weaved around the shikigami with ease. Allowing the ogres to stumble by, the man lunged forward at the priest, driving the thin blade of his weapon into the Onmyoji's chest.

The figure of the priest melted away instantly, leaving the swordsman looking around, confused.

"That's another ability that took quite some time to master. I haven't given it a name yet, but all I do is condense my furyoku to create a copy of myself. It's rather useful for situations such as this," Hao announced as he grappled the man from behind.

"Now, Kouki!"

With his arms locked above his head, there was nothing the Sword God could do as his weapon dangled in his grasp. The slack allowed the blow Kouki struck against the blade to shatter it completely, sending fragments of it flying in all directions.

Letting out a cry of rage, the swordsman slammed his right heel into the priest's right shin, causing the grapple to weaken. Slipping free, the man added to injury by driving his left elbow into the Onmyoji's ribs, forcing him to stumble backwards. Taking a step forward from the falling priest, the swordsman drew yet another sword, placed vertically upside down on his back, and, turning, lashed out with it, cutting the priest across the abdomen.

The blade of this sword appeared to be of the same shape as the Durendal was, albeit shorter. It was obviously a one handed sword, as the handle was far too short to accommodate two hands.

"I know that you're absolutely _dying_ to learn about this weapon," the swordsman taunted, gazing at the priest grasping his stomach.

The man held the sword up, admiring it. "This blade is called a gladius. It was the devastating sword used by the fearsome Roman legion as they went out on conquering expeditions to expand their great empire. This particular one was once used by the legionnaire Decimus Caelius Severus, a Centurion who commanded an entire cohort of soldiers. His skills were honed in the undying flames of war that constantly engulfed his life." He continued to add, "there's no way you're going to win."

The priest sighed. "I'm not out to 'win,' I just want you to come to your senses. Let's go, Kouki, Zenki."

Each of the ogres dashed forward, Zenki to the right, Kouki to the left, ready to sandwich the swordsman. They never got the chance. A flurry of sword strikes lashed out at blinding speeds, shredding up the two shikigami. "And now I've destroyed your ogres once more, priest."

Before Hao could act, the swordsman was upon him. The slashes were swift, seeming to come from nowhere. Not even realizing it, the priest had sustained two cuts across his chest and another on his left shoulder. Unable to aptly set up a defense, there was nothing the Onmyoji could do as the Sword God plunged his blade into his stomach.

The blood erupting into his mouth was nearly strangling, Hao noted. He staggered backwards, struggling to regain his balance, but to no avail. Falling to the ground, he remained motionless, the impact causing him to go numb.

"Are you finally dead, priest? That took a while." He bowed towards Hao. "I apologize for looking down on you. You were certainly the best opponent I've had in quite some time. Now then, I can begin my revolution...my clan _will_ be restored."

"I'm...glad...to hear...that," Hao sputtered.

The Sword God stared in amazement as the priest raised into a sitting position without the use of his hands. "I certainly wasn't dead, and I'm not a god," the priest stated. "I used my furyoku to seal off the wounds you inflicted. Well, the more damaging ones, at least." The Onmyoji grunted. "Doesn't make it hurt any less, though."

Standing up, Kouki and Zenki reformed beside him. Waving both of his hands, star patterns reminiscent of the star emblem forming the priest's furyoku shield appeared on both shikigamis' heads. As the Onmyoji drew his hands back towards himself, the ogres began to turn translucent. The shikigami eventually faded away, leaving only the items they carried behind, Zenki's shield glowing with a faint blue energy, and Kouki's ax glowing red.

Holding out his left arm, the shield hovered over it, blue tendrils extending from the back of it to hold it in place. Upon reaching out to grab the poleaxe, its blade began to change shape, compressing itself into a smaller form and extending outwards, taking on the shape of a naginata.

"Ah, so, does this mean that _you're_ going to fight me now?" the Sword God inquired.

Hao nodded. "That's right. The best way I can think to make you listen to reason is to go all out."

The swordsman grinned. "Haha, that's nice to hear. Now I'm excited!"

As he ran forward, a silver energy swirled about the gladius he held, obviously the swordsman's syncing with the spirit of Decimus. He lashed out with the weapon, but had it solidly blocked with the shield of Zenki. The Onmyoji responded by thrusting his own blade at the man, which was dodged with effort, following up by using the long staff-like handle of the naginata to hit the swordsman in the face.

Stepping back, the glow around the gladius intensified, spreading itself out to engulf the man wielding it. Solidifying in various areas, a shield was formed in the man's hand, bracers on his arms, shin guards, a seemingly iron chest plate, and a galea on his head.

The two men stood silently facing one another, admiring the other's prowess, before launching into another flurry of attacks. Each dodged, sidestepped, parried, blocked, and attacked when necessary, not giving an inch. Occasionally, the combatants would manage to land a blow on the other, the damaging effects considerably weakened from the shear output of furyoku the two were exuding.

Hao, finally seeing an opening, capitalized on it, striking like a serpent at the blade of the gladius. The swordsman, seeing his mistake, quickly threw up his shield to protect the sword. Although guarding the sword, the shield couldn't stand up to the shear force produced from the thrust of the priest's weapon. Hitting the very center of the shield, it shattered upon impact, breaking like glass, due to both Hao and Kouki's combined furyoku being denser that that of Decimus.

The swordsman attempted to return the sentiment, but Zenki's shield proved to be too strong, it being a supernatural item to begin with, and reinforced by both demonic and shamanic energies. Bracing the shield with his forearm and perfecting his timing, Hao thrust it forward, deflecting the Sword God's thrust upwards.

As a follow up, the Onmyoji struck out with staff portion of his naginata, decidedly knocking the gladius out of the swordsman's hand. As the sword fell through the air, the priest performed a side flip, catching the weapon with the blade of his own, slamming it to the ground. He immediately mimicked the movement, using the centrifugal force collected in the flip to slam his blade down onto the sword, breaking it into many shards.

Not giving the swordsman time to act, Hao initiated a series of thrusts, striking quicker than a serpent. Completely defenseless, there was nothing the man could do but attempt to backpedal. The Onmyoji was precise in his attacks but light. His goal was to neutralize the man, not kill him.

Staggering back, the swordsman grinned at his wounds. "You certainly are something, priest. Now I believe you. You certainly were sent here to fight me by that emperor." He reached to his back, pulling out one more sword. Although the handle was a run of the mill black wooden one, the blade was the most unique one Hao had ever seen. Having a main narrow, double-edged blade, it also bore six extra blades protruding from it, three on each side.

The Sword God held the sword in front of himself. "This...this is my final sword, the Seven-Branched Sword. It is also the strongest of my weapons. This it going to be it; I'm going to put my everything into this final attack, which is why..." He reached inside of his worn out chest plate, producing a red, knife-shaped rock. "...I'm going to use this in conjunction with my sword. This is an artifact that I crafted myself. The manner that I created it with and the shape I made with it make it a perfect medium when creating a sword type over soul, making it perfect for me. I call it the Futsu-no-Mitama no Tsurugi." He grinned. "Before we end this, I'd like to know something. Where did you gain all your strength, Hao?"

The Onmyoji smiled. "You...most likely will not believe this, but I literally perfected my training in Hell. I found a way to enter a trance that would send my soul there, so I spent many months training there every day. And yourself?"

The Sword God chuckled. "No, I believe you. As for myself, while I didn't go to the actual place, I trained daily in a Hell of sorts, as well. I joined armies, fought in wars, became a sword for hire, and even stooped to assassinations, whatever it took to increase my skills."

Hao eyed him pensively for a moment. "Also...when you thought I had died earlier, you...mentioned your clan. What clan would that be?"

"It's because of those damn Fujiwara!" the man burst out. "Because of them, the Soga were wiped out!"

Some of the hostage monks had chanced to step outside of the building to watch the conclusion to the battle, while others tentatively stared out from the hole produced when the swordsman was driven through the wall.

"The Sago Clan was poised to create a line of succession of our own, but the Fujiwara had to conspire against us! It doesn't matter, though. I'll show them just how futile their efforts were, when I create an army of shamans to topple that toad they have on the throne now!" he continued. The swordsman looked at Hao with a sneer. "I would have asked you to join me, but you are quite obviously preoccupied with being a dog of the emperor."

The Onmyoji smiled. "No, I certainly wouldn't be able to join you."

Regaining his composure, the Sword God returned the smile. "That's fine. This has been an excellent fight and, if you sided with me, we wouldn't know how it would end."

He thrust the Seven-Branch Sword into the air. "Now, hyoui-gattai legion!" From the shattered and discarded swords, their respective energies swirled about. Each energy entered a different protruding blade, with the very tip gaining an electrical charge. The Sword God sneered. "The associated spirit with this weapon is Raijin, god of thunder. I've never had to use this technique in battle, but I'm quite certain that it will destroy you. It may even take this mountain with you."

The swordsman placed the knife-shaped rock into the lightning tip. The reaction was immediate, a glowing blade the width of six men and extending to the heavens was produced.

"_What are they doing?_"

"_Why are they just standing there?_"

"_That's so unfair! That brute has a sword and that priest is completely defenseless! He'll be killed!_"

The watching monks' voiced resounded in Hao's head, their inability to sense furyoku evident.

The swordsman charged.

Hao, thinking quickly, reverted the naginata he held into pure furyoku and added its essence into the shield he had. The defensive item grew three times larger at once, gaining spiky protrusions in the process. Not wishing to hesitate, he mimicked the man.

The ensuing flash of light was blinding. Every monk gazing at the battle was forced to shield their eyes. Even from the Capital, the entire summit of the mountain was shrouded in the light, so brilliant it was.

As the light faded, the men stood, facing one another. The Seven-Branch Sword was dangling loosely in the Sword God's grasp, but he still held it, nonetheless. Hao's shield had been broken, shards of it scattered around him. Both men were covered in wounds, many of them severe.

Hao looked down to see the large gashes on his legs and the three gaping wounds on his chest. Looking back at his opponent, he saw that the swordsman wasn't unscathed, either. The Sword God bore a cut at least four inches wide across his entire chest. Another wound crossed his neck. To top it off, his left arm was missing, with his upper right arm covered in blood.

With his vision slowly fading, he fell forward. The last thing he saw was the swordsman grinning at him.

"_W-what just happened?_"

"_Did that priest do that to that man?_"

"_W-what is that priest?_"

"_They were just standing there, then they look like that? How did that happen to that swordsman? That pries must be a demon!_"

The monks' thoughts echoed in his mind as the ground rushed up to meet him.

* * *

His eyes snapped open. Quickly, priest raised up onto his elbows, looking at his surroundings. The pain shot through him like fire. Hao looked at himself. Where the wounds he believed had killed him had been, there were bandages. Gazing around, he saw that he was in a room, though he had no clue where. "_The temple?_" he pondered.

At the far wall, the shoji slid open, and a young woman walked in. Noticing him staring at her, she blushed, bowing immediately. "Oh, Lord Asakura, you're awake! Please, wait just one moment!" she exclaimed, rushing back out the door.

He waited patiently, as was asked of him. Struggling slightly, he managed himself into sitting upright. He was perplexed. "_No, this can't be the temple. I had heard that it was male only_," he thought. The room was far too exquisite to be at the temple as well, he noted.

A dark presence in the doorway caught his attention. Upon noticing who it was, he averted his eyes at once. Emperor Ichijo strode into the room, a jovial smile on his face. "Please, Sir Hao, look towards your friend!" the emperor greeted happily.

Hao complied and attempted to bow no matter how much it hurt, but the emperor's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "There's no need for that," Ichijo assured him. "I am greatly in your debt."

The priest's eyes widened. "No, no, my lord, I was only doing my duty, that's all. You do not need to waste your words of praise on me."

Ichijo chuckled. "You're just as modest as they say you are." The emperor proceeded to bow to the Onmyoji despite protests from the priest. "The Sword God has been slain, and it is all because of you. Truly, you have done a tremendous deed in protecting the empire."

The girl from earlier peered from around the emperor. Seeing her, Ichijo decided introductions were necessary. "Ah, Hao, this is Mizuki. She was caring for you while you were unconscious. She's the one who dressed your wounds."

The priest nodded at her. "Thank you very much for your care," he said.

She blushed again, did a quick bow, and hurried out of the room.

Ichijo laughed. "She's quite shy around outsiders. She was born and raised here in the Palace, learning medicine, so she doesn't really know much of the outside world."

Hao nodded before looking puzzled. "But... the swordsman was still alive when I blacked out. I had thought that I had either died there, or he was going to finish me off. I don't understand what happened."

The emperor appeared thoughtful. "Well, as you can see, he certainly didn't kill you. When my men arrived after seeing a flash of light at the top of the mountain, he was found dead. Perhaps he died from his wounds shortly after you fell unconscious."

Hao was contemplating the possibility of the suggestion when the emperor stood. "I do apologize, but I have many other matters that I must attend to." Hao nodded as he sighed. "Running the empire certainly takes a lot of time." Striding towards the shoji, Ichijo turned as if a thought hit him. "Don't worry about your fee. I instructed a convoy to send two hundred koku, thirty silk kimonos, and you may keep the carts that the items arrive in."

The priest forced his unwilling body to bow. "My lord, your kindness is far too great. However, my services can't possibly warrant a reward this vast."

Ichijo held up his hand. "You belittle yourself far too much. Please, if not as a reward, accept them as a gift."

The Onmyoji smiled, an act returned by the emperor.

"Ah, and feel free to stay and rest here as long as you wish," Ichijo added.

"Thank you, Lord Ichijo," the priest stated.

After the shoji had closed, he began pondering once more. "_He was grinning at me, so he obviously had the time to walk that short distance and kill me,_" he thought. "_So what happened?_" He continued to wrack his brain until a memory hit him. "_The shield! There were pieces of it around me when I fell. Hm, could Zenki and Kouki have remained in the physical realm a bit longer after I collapsed?_"

He called the two ogres to him. The shikigami manifested at once, awaiting orders from their master.

The priest smiled. "Did the two of you remain at the mountain after I fell unconscious?" Both nodded. "Then I wish for you to remember what conspired afterward."

The shikigami closed their eyes, remembering the events, as Hao followed suit in an effort to read them.

_As the two men rushed one another, the Sword God cleaved downward with his oversized blade. The priest responded by thrusting his shield upwards, simultaneously launching some of the spikes at the sword and readying a spell. The familiar star like pattern appeared below the swordsman, sealing him in a barrier and carving him up with an assault of Hao's condensed furyoku. Losing his focus, the large over soul wavered, allowing the shield to break through at the cost of shattering itself._

_Hao hit the ground with an audible thump. The swordsman continued to grin at him. As he sauntered forward, he allowed his Seven-Branch Sword to fall from his hand, clacking on the ground. Taking a few more steps, he picked up the knife-shape rock where it had landed after the breaking of his over soul._

"_That was one hell of a fight," he stated, still grinning. _

"_You aren't dead, are you?" he inquired as he plopped down beside the Onmyoji. He reached out, running his index and middle fingers along the priest's neck to confirm. "No, no, you're still alive," he said after feeling a pulse. His grin broadened._

"_Damn, can't believe it's all over for me. You're strong, Hao, really strong." His wounds were bleeding profusely, causing a small puddle to form around him._

_Setting the rock on the ground, he reached inside his chest plate once more, producing a small piece of parchment. Finding a nearby piece of straw, he dipped it into his blood and began scribbling on the paper. He finished quickly and, apparently satisfied with the message, folded the parchment and tied it around the handle portion of the knife rock. He then casually slipped it into the priest's kimono._

_Not able to keep his balance, he fell back. His breath became raspy after emitting a hacking cough. "You know, there really is a part of me that wanted to restore my clan," he announced with a smile, "but I think there was a bigger part that just wanted a good fight." He drew in air sharply. "Hahaha," he weakly laughed as his final breath escaped him._

"_What a rush." _

Hao opened his eyes again, a pleasant smile crossing his lips. He fumbled around in the folds of his kimono, but couldn't find anything. Upon checking his right sleeve, he discovered the knife-shaped rock and note. It must have been moved when Mizuki was treating his wounds.

He gently laid the artifact in his lap and unfolded the parchment. Reading over the message, his smile broadened.

"You should pick up a sword sometime. Take this one to start your collection.

-Sago no Nori"

* * *

Took a while to collect research on the various sword for this one.

The Sword of Goujian is an actual sword made during the Spring and Autumn Period of Ancient China. It was indeed made for King Goujian, a ruler of the Yue Dynasty. Apparently, even though it's over 2500 years old, it's still pretty sharp and barely rusted at all. It's currently in a museum in China (which is why I had it knocked out of the Sword God's hand instead of broken), though I don't know if it's on display to the public or not.

The Durendal is a sword of legend, supposedly used by a knight under the service of the Frank king Charlemagne named Roland. There's also a rumor that it belonged to Hector of Troy before falling into the hands of Roland. There's a town in France that has a building with a sword stuck in its wall. Some of the locals believe that that sword is Durendal.

A khopesh is a somewhat hook-like sword that was used in Egypt. It stopped being used as a weapon around 1500-1300 B.C. It then became a ceremonial item, seen on some murals being held by pharaohs.

A dha is a longsword somewhat similar to a katana (though the dha would be a precursor), that was used by the Naga people in India. The Naga did indeed practice headhunting, as they viewed it as proving the strength of a warrior. They didn't engage in cannibalism, though.

A falx is a type of forward curving sword that was mainly used in Ancient Greece, by the Thracians, Dacians and, eventually, the Romans.

Most everybody knows what a gladius is. You always gladiators using them in the movies, but they were used by Roman soldiers, as well.

The Seven-Branch Sword is a real historical artifact, though it isn't battle ready. It's more for ceremonial purposes. It was made in Korea and given to Japan in an exchange of friendship in around the 200s A.D. It is now one of Japan's national treasures and is not on display to the public. As far as I know, there isn't anything about the lightning associated with the sword. I just remember a similar sword in one of the _Castevania_ games that had lightning properties.

I didn't include a katana in the Sword God's repertoire as the weapon had not yet been created. This fanfic takes place in the Heian Period (794- 1185 A.D.) while the katana wasn't created until the Muromachi Period (1392- 1573 A.D.).

The Sago clan was an actual clan in ancient Japan that was very prominent. However, they began to create elaborate palaces for themselves, deciding to become the sovereign rulers of the land, but the Nakatomi clan opposed them, assassinated some of their people, and forced them to disband. The Nakatomi reformed into the Fujiwara clan, setting up the order of succession for the Japanese Emperors. Emperor Ichijo was descended from this clan.

I know that Hao says the Futsu-no-Mitama no Tsurugi was obtained from a sword god, but I can't remember if the sword god was ever actually depicted in the manga. Therefore, I decided that I would take another liberty and make him into a very powerful shaman.


	5. On the Move

The rest of winter passed by, filled with fun, laughter, priestly duties, and the occasional training session. Spring carried on rather uneventfully, as well. Summer had finally arrived, warmer than usual, and Hao was traveling to his next job.

The previous ox led cart had been gutted and refitted with the interior of one of the lavish carts that Emperor Ichijo was kind enough to give the priest, and was now traversing down one of the city's streets, the summer sun beating down. Jiro and Taiki were drudging ahead of the cart, shoulders slumped.

"It's...so hot..." the two guards murmured.

"But, you know...there's...something I hate more...than this heat..." Taiki stated.

Jiro's eyes perked slightly, although it didn't help their droopy appearance. "What? What could possibly be more unbearable than _this_?"

"That damned cat!"

Jiro chuckled. "Oh, him." He though for a moment. "I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but he's been in such a rage today."

Taiki touched the scratch marks on his left cheek. "Yeah, I know all about it."

Inside the cart, Matamune was going frantic. He rushed across Hao's lap from side to side, staring out the window and hissing, his fur standing on end.

The priest watched the feline with amusement before following his gaze out the right window. He finally caught sight of what had been causing the cat's alarm.

"Haha, I see what it is now," the Onmyoji said to his friend.

Both he and Matamune had spotted a demonic ogre looking creature, sitting in front of an estate, holding an upright kanabo. It sported a seemingly bucket helmet, bearing star shaped eye holes, and a single spike protruding from the back.

"That is a goryoushin," Hao told the feline. "You must have seen them earlier, as well. This has been your first time of seeing them, isn't it? I've become so used to seeing them that I didn't think to bring it up earlier."

The creature eyed them coldly, standing defiantly as they passed by.

"They are a special type of spirit employed by us Onmyoji to guard off oni and other beings that would wish to harm us," the priest continued. "A spirit that guards another spirit is known as a gonryoue. As such, when they guard a shaman, they are known as a goryoushin."

Hao sighed slightly. "When it all comes down to it, you will lose your body when you die, and go on to the afterlife as a spirit." His eyes became softer, showing a bit of sadness. "If, at that time, we are still friends..." he started, "I hope that you will become a goryoushin and protect me."

Matamune's eyes widened, struck by Hao's words, as the priest scratched behind his left ear.

The Onmyoji silently reached up to his neck, untying the necklace that rested there. Sliding it up from the v in the kimono under his snow white kariginu and jo-e, it was revealed to have three black bear claws hooked on the string. He clasped his hand around it momentarily, focusing on the grooves and curves of the claws.

"Believe it or not, this bear claw necklace possesses the ability to cross the worlds, both this one and the afterlife," Hao said, "I'd like for you to have it." He continued to say, "I've concentrated a part of my furyoku into the claws. This way, that furyoku of mine will be able to flow into you. When you die, if you have kept the necklace and accepted my furyoku, you will be able to live on as a goryoue forever."

The feline's eyes grew even larger as he processed the information he had just been given. The priest sat, staring at his friend as the cat gazed over the bear claws dangling from his furry neck. Gleaning Matamune's thoughts, Hao smiled greatly. Though he couldn't understand the words, he felt the emotions easily conveyed their meaning to him.

"I will always protect you, Lord Hao."

* * *

Traveling onward, Hao requested Jiro and Taiki to bring the cart to a halt. The priest could hear a commotion carrying on up ahead. Pushing the blind obscuring the right window up, the Onmyoji poked his head out, seeing what was going on.

Up ahead, three men were attacking another man against the wall of a building, not quite in the middle of the street, but still in the way. The man was doing very little to defend himself, simply trying to walk away, which did him little good. Every move he made to walk off was rewarded with being shoved against the wall again and dealt a blow to the stomach or across the face. As the man sank to the ground, his assailants began kicking him, stomping him into the dirt.

Hao hurriedly stepped out of the cart, rushing towards the group. "Now, gentlemen, I'm sure that whatever this man has done this type of punish-" He was stopped mid sentence when the closest man hit him with the back of his fist, knocking him to the ground.

"Stay out of this, priest," the man grunted before turning back to his previous occupation. As the man prepared to kick the man on the ground, Hao reached out, grabbing him by the ankle. As the thug looked down at him, the priest glared. "I said this _isn't necessary_," Hao said to him scathingly.

"_What the hell's his problem?_" the man's voice echoed in the Onmyoji's mind. "_What an idiot._"

The other two had taken notice. "Oh, he wants to take a share, too, eh?" the first man inquired.

"Seems like it," the second replied.

The third man continued kicking the priest in the stomach as the other two stepped over, the first grinding his face into the dirt with his heel and the second stomping on his chest. Jiro and Taiki came running over, swords brandished, ready to cut down the attackers.

"What do you want to help a freak like this anyway?" the men shouted. "He's a demon! Why help him?" they added, taking out their frustration on the priest.

Just as Taiki was about to split the first man's head in half, the three thugs were lifted from the ground and tossed a dozen feet away. Hao's guards stared in amazement. They knew their lord was renowned for his abilities, but they had never seen them up close before.

The men scrambled to their feet frantically, visibly alarmed. They looked around with puzzlement at first. "What was that?" the second man asked the rest, even though he knew they were just as confused as he was.

Realization spreading across the third man's face, causing him to look back at their victims, of which the priest was now standing, gazing at them with an annoyed look. He pointed at the Onmyoji. "I-It was _you_, wasn't it?"

"He's just like that other freak!" the second exclaimed.

"Help! Someone help! These two are not men at all, they're _demons_!" the first man shouted as he ran down the street, the other two following closely behind.

Hao watched them run away with scorn as the man slumped against the wall began to chuckle weakly. As he slowly stood, albeit with the priest's aid, he grinned. "Persecuted just because I can see spirits. It's no different from home..."

The man finally raised his eyes, immediately noticing a pair of demonic looking ogres, one blue, the other red. They were obviously what had launched the three men across the street. Knowing that they did not belong to him and the assailants' parting words clicking together, he gaped at the priest. "Hey, you can see spirits too!"

The Onmyoji smiled at the man. "Indeed I can." Extending his hand, the priest introduced himself. "Hao Asakura."

Engaging in the handshake, the man flashed a rogue smile. "I'm Gang. Gang Tao."

The priest looked over the man. He wore a simple sleeveless cloth tunic of a dark blood red color. His black pants were somewhat baggy, ending just below his knees. The cuff of his pants were met by his tall white socks, the likes of which were so dingy, they appeared to have a yellow hue to them. On his feet were black cloth shoes with white soles. His clothes, though still held together, were quite tattered at the fringes, and his shoes appeared as if they were about to burst at the seams, minor holes already worn in them.

"You said the way those men were treating you was no better than at home," Hao stated. "I assume that you are not from Japan."

Gang nodded. "That's right. I hail from the land of China," he said with another chuckle.

The Onmyoji took a second glance at Gang's clothing. "And, pardon me for asking," he started, "but the material your clothing is made of doesn't seem like something a commoner would be able to afford."

Gang smiled at him. "Haha, you're very observant, Hao. Well, the Tao family is...somewhat wealthy, I suppose."

A puzzled look crossed the priest's face. "I don't claim to know a great deal about China...but the Tao family is one that I've never heard of. I mean no offense, of course."

The man held up his hands. "None taken. It's...somewhat of a long story."

Understanding, Hao turned to walk towards his escort. "Oh, I see."

Placing his hand on the priest's shoulder, Gang turned him around. "You didn't let me finish. I'll try to make it a short story," he said, smiling. "You see, a hand full of centuries ago, we Tao used our abilities to help establish the Qin Dynasty. We prospered greatly as a result, enjoying the greatest of luxuries in the Imperial Capital. However, roughly three centuries ago, the Tang dynasty grew tired of what they called our 'charades, and false magic,' and exiled us into the wildlands. Many were hunted down and mercilessly slaughtered for heresy, until the family used the wealth it had accumulated to construct a palace high in the mountains, hidden from the rest of the world. Now, the family is just building up power, waiting for the chance to prosper again."

The Onmyoji scratched the back of his head. "Um...this sounds rather secret, so why are you telling me this? I was content with just 'it's a long story,' you know."

Gang shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't feel like going through all the training and protocols they had laid out for me. I'd rather just take it easy, get stronger on my own time, and live my own life, you know?" Hao nodded. Gang grinned. "Well, they disowned me."

The priest frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Gang simply waved him off. "It's no big deal. At least I can live like I want, right?" he said, his grin widening.

Hao chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so. But, is it really worth living like this?" Gang shrugged once more.

"Do you at least have a place to stay?" the priest inquired further.

The man shook his head and pointed at the sky. "But the view is amazing at night."

The Onmyoji's head slumped forward as he sighed. Perking up, he looked at Gang with a smile. "Well, then, I suppose it's settled." Gang looked confused. "You can live at my estate. I have more than enough room, so you won't be a bother," Hao clarified.

"Ah," the man started, "that would be nice," he finished, not protesting in the least.

Walking side by side with the priest towards the waiting cart and guards, a highly audible clang sounded out from withing Gang's pants. His eyes perked as he realized what it was. "I suppose I can take these out now," he said as he reached beneath the waistband of his pants, producing two straight swords, one from each pant leg. "These aren't illegal here, are they?" he inquired of the Onmyoji.

Hao shook his head. "Not that I know of, but...what _are_ they, exactly? It's obvious that they are Chinese blades, but I've never seen them before."

Gang held the two swords up. They were nearly identical, both being slightly over three feet long. The only difference between the two was a result of their respective colors. The left sword was predominantly white, carrying the color on it's sheathe, handle, and cord tied through the end of the hilt which, along with the hand guard, seemed to be made of gold, same as the right. The right sword, however, was mainly black, bearing the color in its own sheathe, handle, and attached cord, creating a stark contrast to its gold hand guard and hilt cap.

"Swords such as these are known as jian," Gang replied. "I forged them myself. That was before I was kicked out, of course." He held up the left jian. "I call this one dàn," he announced. "This one is huì," he said, motioning towards the right sword.

"I take it you use them as a medium?" Hao asked.

"That's right."

"Speaking of which," the priest said, looking around, "where _is_ your guardian spirit?"

"I'm not sure." Gang gave another nonchalant shrug of his shoulder. "Eh, I'm sure he's out somewhere."

The Onmyoji chose not to question the answer as they came to a stop in front of Jiro and Taiki, who were eyeing Gang suspiciously. Hao raised his hands in an effort to calm them. "Taiki, Jiro, this is Gang," he said, pointing at the man. "He's going to be staying with us."

The two guards looked at one another momentarily, showing little interest, before Jiro spoke up. "I'm guessing he has abilities such as yours, right, Lord Hao? Is that why you took an interest in him?"

"Something like that," Hao replied. "That, plus, he has no where else to go." Gang shrugged as the two guards looked at him.

The two men climbed into the cart, sitting on opposite sides, as the guard coaxed the ox into moving again. Not recognizing the other man, Matamune dived behind Hao's legs, only chancing a peek around to let out a hiss. Grabbing underneath his forearms, the priest lifted the cat up to face the man.

"This guy here," Hao started, "is Matamune, a very close friend of mine" As the cat dangled helplessly from the priest's hands, he stared lazily at Gang.

Gang reached out his right hand to lightly shake the cat's paw. As he did so, the feline wiggled his paw as best he could, producing his claws and scratching the man across the index finger.

"Eh...nice to meet you, too," Gang chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand, as Hao gave an apologetic smile.

* * *

The cart came to an abrupt halt in front of an estate on the other side of town. Having made a couple stops along the way, the daylight had been burned, and night had fallen.

Hao stepped out, the Chinese shaman following closely behind. "So, is this your place?" Gang inquired, looking around.

The priest shook his head. "No, this is the last stop beforehand. I have something to take care of here." He shrugged when Gang gave him a questioning look. "It's part of the job. I hope you don't mind."

"Ah, that's right. Your priestly duties." He shrugged. "Well, it's really no big deal."

Hao walked forward, heading towards the building. "Ah, alright. Thank you for understanding. I won't be very long."

Gang rushed up to walk beside him. "Well, the least I can do is help you out, you giving me a place to stay, and all." He turned back to watch Matamune claw his way up Taiki's leg, who was howling out every obscenity that came to his mind. "Plus," Gang started, "I don't want to have to put up with _that_ while you're gone."

The Onmyoji chuckled. "Fair enough. Things will be completed twice as fast this way."

The two of them carried on towards the mansion, engaging in small talk along the way. As they passed through the building's gate, both noticed a man standing in the yard, dressed in the same attire as Hao, staring at the estate. They approached him.

The two of them stopped in their tracks as the man turned around. He had an overall normal face, hazel eyes with sharp features. What struck the two as odd was the nose the man sported, being long and crooked.

Finally seeing that the man wasn't diseased, Gang gave a small wave. "Hey." The man scowled at him.

Hao gave an apologetic smile to the other priest. "I'm sorry for our rudeness but, um, exactly why are you here?"

The man scoffed. "My name is Kenta Sato. I was hired to exorcise a demon in this estate. It was apparently a haunting so bad that the family was forced to flee the mansion."

"I'm Hao Asakura, and this is Gang Tao," the Onmyoji said, extending his hand. Kenta made no effort to shake it. Seeing the second priest wasn't going to return the gesture, Hao lowered his hand. "I don't understand. I was contracted to perform an exorcism here, as well."

Kenta turned his curved nose into the air, causing Gang to cringe slightly. "Well, you're wasting your time here. _I_ will be the one to finish the job here, so you can just _go home_."

Hao stepped passed the man. "No, I believe I'm going to do the job I was hired to do, if that's alright with you."

The man walked forward, slamming the shoji open. "Fine! Do as you please! You can go ahead and waste your time, I'll be the one to succeed! Just stay out of my way!" The Onmyoji could hear the man's thoughts. "_I'm sure he's just a fake wants to loot the place. Heh, well, that's too bad, because I'm __going to be doing that, heheh..._" The man finished by stomping into the mansion.

"It looks like you've got an enemy now," Gang chuckled.

Hao stood in the doorway, frowning. "He just seems to be...er, a go getter. Coming?" He stepped inside.

With Gang catching up, the priest looked around the interior. Though the building was not run down like the old mansion Hao had visited the previous fall, as this estate was far more new, but it had its flaws. Someone had lit lanterns throughout the house to illuminate it. As far as the Onmyoji could see, the mansion looked as if a typhoon had weeded its way into the estate and went to work, taking care to leave the building standing. Many things had been turned over, thrown to the ground, and broken, while most of the washi of the inner shoji used as room dividers had been ripped. If the demon was this powerful, it was a small wonder that the residing family was forced to flee.

Somewhere, in another area of the estate, Hao thought he could hear Kenta rummaging through the mansion's various items. The Onmyoji and Chinese shaman decided it was best to check the other side of the mansion. They would deal with the fake priest later.

Turning left, the two traversed hallways that all looked the same, save for the directions they eventually bent in, until they came to the heart of the complex. At the very center of the mansion, a garden had been constructed, not completely unlike the one in Hao's own courtyard. This one was, however, larger than his, with sand covering a larger area, more sitting rocks, more trees planted, and a mid sized fishless pond in the far right corner. The "typhoon" had left this area untouched.

"_Get out! Get out! No one invited you stooges here!"_ The voice echoed throughout the garden, giving no hint of its origin. The voice followed with a menacing chuckle.

The body the voice was attached to made itself known. Gang rolled forward, narrowly dodging the large fist attempting to smash into him. Hao was forced to sidestep the one coming at him.

As they both turned back, they realized what they were dealing with. The creature was rather diminutive, slightly over half the size of Hao. It had a demonic figure, gray in color, its appearance being similar to that of an oni. The most striking feature it bore was its arms. Though its upper arms were relative proportional to its size, the forearms were massive, ending in the large hands that had attempted to crush them.

The Onmyoji looked interested. "Ah. You're an amanojaku."

The creature gave a toothy grin. "Oh, so the priest has heard of me. That's correct." Upon looking at Gang, the amanojaku's grin broadened. "Hmm...you want to be able to bring honor back to your family, even though they cast you out, don't you, little one?"

"I don't really think it's your place to call someone 'little,' just so you know," Gang scoffed in reply. "But...how could you know about that?" he added, puzzled.

"You know, I can give you the strength you need to accomplish your goal. You will become so strong that your family will once again rise to prominence. The people of your nation will easily recognize your power and would do nothing to oppose you. So, you see, you won't even have to resort to violence."

Gang was intrigued. "And...and how would I get this power?"

The amanojaku's grin became menacing. "Why, all you have to do is kill the priest," he said, pointing a Hao.

The Chinese shaman smiled. "Ah," he started, drawing his twin jian, much to the demon's delight, "too bad." He pointed the swords at the amanojaku. "That's just too much of a deal breaker."

The priest smiled, his two shikigami appearing beside him. "An amanojaku can read your deepest desires and claims to be able to make them come true. Of course, it's something that the creature doesn't intend to follow through on. Good thing you didn't give in."

Gang shrugged. "Well, I didn't really intend to listen to him, anyway. I'd prefer to meet my goals with my own ability." He then turned to face Hao. "How exactly do you know so much about this thing?"

It was the Onmyoji's turn to shrug. "It is required to have knowledge of various creatures when studying the onmyodo arts. Not to mention, I took special interest in this creature, as I have an ability that is somewhat similar to his."

The Chinese shaman gaped. "You can see people's desires?"

Hao shook his head. "Not quite. I have the ability to read not only others' thoughts but, more importantly, their hearts. Though, my ability comes and goes as it pleases; I can't activate or deactivate it at will." He smiled. "I'm afraid I can't grant any desires, either."

The demon chuckled its menacing chuckle once more, as a metal staff assimilated into its left hand. "Oh well, if the two of you are finished, I'd like to get around to killing you. You see, I was resting pleasantly until you two showed up."

The amanojaku's speed was great. In the span of a second, the demon was able to close the short distance between itself and the two men, swat the Onmyoji to the side, and lash out at Gang with his staff.

Instincts kicking in, the Chinese shaman crossed his blades in front of himself, allowing them to absorb the force of the blow. The impact was still great enough to send him sliding backwards until he used the resistance caused by sticking the swords in the ground to stop.

Zenki and Kouki moved in immediately, each attacking from a different side, ready to annihilate the creature. The amanojaku, however, had not forgotten about the ogres, using each end of its staff to trip them up, causing the two shikigami to crash into one another.

Standing just as quickly as he had fallen, Hao reentered the fray. He made an attempt to use a binding spell on the demon, but it was to no avail. The creature lashed out with its staff to interrupt the priest's casting.

At the same time, Gang and the shikigami had redoubled their efforts into attacking together. The demon caught on, rapidly spinning its staff in front of itself, repelling all attacks made against it. The creature followed its efforts by holding off the two ogres with its staff as it planted its oversized left fist into the Chinese shaman's stomach, sending him reeling backwards.

"Come on, now. Can't any of you do any better?" the demon taunted. The group launched another joint attack only to be deflected again.

"Hey, Gang, tell you what, I'll reinstate my offer from before. Just kill the priest and his shikigami and you won't have to waste anymore energy on attacks that won't work," the amanojaku jeered.

"Hmph. I've already turned you down once," Gang retorted. "Plus, I wouldn't stand a chance. In case you haven't noticed, my companion spirit is, eh...somewhere..." he added, slightly embarrassed.

"Have it your way."

The demon unleashed a barrage of attacks against the Chinese shaman. With his hands going numb from the shocking vibrations, Gang's grip on his swords slipped, causing his guard to lower. The creature delivered a crushing stomp kick to the man's chest, slamming him to the ground. Meanwhile, Hao and his ogres had positioned themselves to attack from the right side.

Catching the assault at the last second, the demon swung its staff out with all of its strength. The end of it caught Zenki in the head with a resounding clang. The shear power behind the blow was enough smash the ogre's head in half.

Due to putting all of its strength behind the attack, the demon was left wide open, a fact Kouki capitalized on. Striking downward with its ax, the ogre cleanly cleaved off the demon's left arm at the shoulder. Screaming out in both anguish and rage, the amanojaku retaliated by driving the end of the staff that had decimated the first ogre through the second ogre's chest, following up by tearing out the shikigami's left side with it.

As Kouki faded away, the demon grinned maliciously at the Onmyoji. "Now, it's your turn." Hao's face remained serene.

Realizing the priest wasn't going to be intimidated, the demon angered even more. With a sharp thrust, the amanojaku slammed the tip of the staff into the Onmyoji's solar plexus, causing him to gasp for air and slump forward. Smiling at the perfect opportunity presented to it, the creature slammed the staff down onto Hao's right shoulder, forcing him to the ground.

The demon had raised the staff over its head, preparing to smash the priest's head like a melon when a blade pierced his arm, lodging through it.

"I'll...need that...back...you know," the sword's owner stated. With narrowed eyes, the demon first glanced over the black handled straight sword sticking through its arm, then at Gang, who was grasping his chest, struggling to breathe.

"You humans are beginning to become intolerable," the amanojaku said scathingly. "To think, I just wanted to be left alone until you showed up."

Gang scowled. "Well, you ran the family who lives here off. It's Hao's job to get rid of pests like you and, well, I'm just here to help."

"Hmph." The creature dashed forward, striking out with its staff once more. Being reduced to only one of his swords, Gang found difficulty in blocking, the blade of his jian not suited for the task. He used the acrobatic ability his training gave him to dodge and weave, dance and parry when necessary, occasionally landing light blows with the dull sword. Try as he might, however, without his companion spirit, there was no way for the Chinese shaman to stand up to the onslaught the demon presented.

The barrage proved to be too much. Gang's grip progressively weakened to point of being unable hold his weapon. With the last strike of the staff, the Chinese shaman's sword was sent flying out of his hand. Sweeping Gang's feet out from under him with its staff, the demon placed its left foot on the man's head, slowly applying more pressure.

A rattling behind them caught the demon's, and everyone else in the area's, attention.

The amanojaku snarled as it looked back. Standing on the veranda was Kenta, legs trembling furiously. His kimono was bulked out greatly, various items he had pillaged jutting out sharply. "Th-th-there really is a m-m-monster here!" the monk shouted. Unable to control his shivering, the items he had stolen clattered loudly to the floor as he ran away, clumsily tripping over his feet in the process.

The moment of distraction served as a trump card. Unaware of its surrounding and annoyance taking over, the blade split it down the middle before it even realized it. The long handle of the blade traced back to its wielder, Hao. In the moment of confusion, he had proceeded to summon Kouki and transplant the ogre's energy into its ax, forming the weapon into a naginata in the Onmyoji's left hand.

The naginata disappeared as the priest grasped his injured shoulder, wincing in pain. Limping his way over to Gang, he gradually helped the Chinese shaman to his feet, albeit with slight difficulty. Gang dusted himself off, offering a small chuckle. "So, is that it? I've had about enough of 'priestly duties' for one night."

The priest forced a smile through the aching in his body. "Yes, yes, I do believe that is all for tonight."

"_Tell me, why did you feel the need to kill my beloved pet?_" A female voice came from directly behind them.

Before the two could even turn, they were launched across the garden. Fortunately for them, the sand they landed in made for a somewhat soft landing. It wasn't completely painless, however.

"What the...?" Gang murmured as he stood, rubbing the side of his head.

"_I SAID WHY THE HELL DID YOU KILL MY PET?_"

The Chinese shaman's mouth gaped slightly when he beheld the voice's source. The only thing "female" about it was its voice. If comparable to a woman, the new creature's face was haggish at best. It bore many characteristics that were telltale of the thing not being human. Most striking were its reddish colored skin and eyes, incredibly long nose, being longer than Kenta's, pointed ears, and twin fangs jutting out of its mouth.

"Um...hey, Hao, what exactly is this _thing_?" Gang inquired. He wasn't given enough time to receive an answer, as a gust of wind blew him to the other side of the garden.

"_Watch your mouth, you whelp!_" the creature cried.

Regaining his footing, Hao's eyes widened upon seeing what stood before him.

"T-The tengu goddess A-Amanozako?"

She smiled at him. "That's right, dear. And might I know the name of the handsome man who comes to pay me tribute?"

The Onmyoji smiled. "My apologies, but I'm not here to worshi-" was all he got out before she sent a blast of air his way, as well. The force was so great that it lifted him off the ground, sending him backwards, until he was driven through the opposing wall.

"_YOU INSOLENT FOOL!_" the goddess shrieked.

"Ugh...temper...temper," Gang announced, a trickle of blood streaming down the left side of his face. The goddess rounded on him, glaring. He had picked up his dàn, using it to split the gust Amanozako sent at him.

Infuriated, the goddess rushed at him. Extending her talons, she nearly had the shaman in her grasp when a white blur slammed into her, sending her sliding across the ground. At the last moment, Hao had manifested Zenki's shield onto his left arm and, bracing himself behind it, jettisoned himself into the goddess.

The priest immediately followed by summoning his red ogre, reforming his previously held naginata.

Picking up the black handled jian, Hao tossed it to its owner. "You should run, Gang," he said. "Amanozako is a powerful goddess with an amazing temper...which I'm sure you've noticed by now."

Spinning his two blades, the shaman stood beside the priest, chuckling. "Yeah, she does seem to get pretty angry, but I don't feel like going anywhere. This is actually entertaining."

Hao sighed. "Fine, but at least stay out of the way. You know that those weapons aren't going to be able to do much." Gang reluctantly nodded.

The goddess had clawed her way back to her feet and, shrieking in rage, readied to blow the two men completely through the mansion. Hao charged. Using the jet streams she had created, Amanozako formed a spear of sorts, thrusting it at the priest. He managed to throw up his shield just in time, barely warding the weapon off, having a large scar cut across the surface of his defensive item in the process.

The combatants continued this dance for some time, the priest dodging around or attempting to block the goddess' strikes while lashing out with his own weapon when he got the chance, which seldom presented itself. Each block, though overall successful, left large gashes in the shield to the point of having the item near shattering. When the Onmyoji was fortunate enough to land a blow of his own, it only left a small scratch, which only served to fuel Amanozako's rage.

With a powerful quick thrust, the goddess shattered the priest's shield like ice. In a desperation move, the Onmyoji thrust his own weapon, lodging it in the goddess' left shoulder. Raised to new levels of anger, Amanozako launched a flurry of attacks on Hao, inflicting wound after wound on the priest, finishing the onslaught by grasping his head, slamming him into the ground.

Amanozako reached up, grabbing the shaft of Hao's naginata, and snapped in half. She followed up by quickly pulling the blade out of her shoulder, throwing it at the house. It faded away before hitting the wall. The goddess' glare then turned upon Gang, who raised his weapons, preparing for the worst.

"Hey, Gang, in trouble again, are you?" a deep voice inquired.

"When am I not?" he shouted back.

"Looks like you need my help again."

"It would've been nice to have had that earlier today!"

A large, brown, serpentine dragon melded up from the ground around the shaman. "Well, it's so nice of you to finally catch up, Ti-Lung," Gang sarcastically said.

The Chinese dragon feigned a frown, which wasn't very hard to do, the twitching whiskers at the corners of its mouth making the action believable. "I told you, this land has some _very appealing_ soil..." The dragon noticed the many wounds on the man, some of them appearing slightly older than the freshly bleeding ones. "Gang, what happened to you?"

Gang scowled in response. "And _I_ told _you_ that your help would have been greatly appreciated _earlier_."

Ti-Lung lowered his head only slightly. "Ah, I see. My apologies."

The shaman chuckled. "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm still standing and breathing, so it's fine." He pointed at Hao. "And it's all thanks to him, so I owe him."

The dragon stared at the priest. "Is he dead?"

Gang shook his head. "No, I don't think so. He's a lot harder to kill than you'd think."

Ti-Lung perked up. "Oh, you mean he's a shaman, too?"

Gang grinned. "Mm-hmm." He grew serious. "He's in pretty bad shape, though."

"_WILL THE TWO OF YOU SHUT UP?_" Amanozako was furious, sending a gale at the two. The dragon coiled itself around the shaman to protect him. The wind slammed into Ti-Lung's rock hard scales, flowing around it harmlessly. When the dragon scoffed at her, she unleashed a barrage of air blasts against him, all of them being ineffective.

When the goddess relented, Gang seized the chance, sheathing his white jian. "Now, Ti-Lung!" he exclaimed, holding out his now free hand as the dragon compressed itself into a glowing sphere in his palm. "Hyoui-gattai, Ti-Lung!" he shouted, inserting the orb into his black handled sword. "Sǐ wáng de shì!"

A golden hue surrounded the jian as rocky scales began to encase Gang's arms, his fingers ending in sharp talons. Both the top and back of his head had become covered in stone, Ti-Lung's horns sprouting from behind his ears. Standing on only his right leg, the other bent, foot resting on his knee, he pointed the sword at the goddess.

She screamed in fury at his insolence, calling forth her wind spear once more. The two rushed one another at the same time, clashing violently upon impact. Neither gave any signs of slowing, following each strike with a progressively faster one. Breaking apart, the two stared, Gang grinning, Amanozako glaring.

"Ah...thanks...Gang..." The Chinese shaman turned to see Hao standing weakly, legs shaking. "...gave me...enough time to...regain...consciousness, heh..." The shield and naginata appeared to each side of the priest before colliding into one another, forming a ball of light, which hovered over his left arm. The light expanded and dissipated, revealing a large spiked shield on his arm, a long blade jutting from the front of it, over Hao's hand.

"I'm sick of the two of you," Amanozako started. "_SO NOW YOU'RE BOTH GOING TO DIE!_" she screamed, summoning a small cyclone to engulf her. Smaller cyclonic tendrils extended from the main whirling entity, carving their way towards the shamans. They pressed forward.

Though the waters were rough, the overall sailing was smooth as the two shamans, blades seething with furyoku, were easily able to dispatch the mini tornadoes. Things changed upon meeting Amanozako's wind barrier. Hao braced himself behind his shield as Gang crossed his arms in front of him, taking the smallest of steps to move ahead.

"_GIVE UP! THERE'S NO WAY FOR YOU MORTALS TO BREAK THROUGH! JUST DIE!_" the goddess shrieked at them.

Manipulating his energy, the Onmyoji allowed most of the spiked protrusions on his shield to break free, falling into the vortex. Both he and Gang jumped backwards, out of the maelstrom, as the shear speed of the wind caught the barbs, spinning them faster and faster. Their speed became so great that they turned the cyclone into a giant blender, slicing up the tengu goddess, her scream piercing the night.

When the wind faded away, the two leaped forward, Hao on the left, Gang to the right. They both slashed out with their blades at the same time, cutting through the goddess, forcing her to elicit a louder shriek than before.

"_D-DAMN THE TWO OF YOU! DAMN YOU TO HELL!_" she cried, hovering in the air. When the shamans attempted another attack on her, the goddess rose higher and higher, out of their reach, until she was floating above the estate. She gave one last shrill shriek of rage before flying off to the West at a blinding speed.

Gang raced forward, dragon features fading away, to catch Hao as he fell, succumbing to his wounds. Gang was struggling to stand, as well, his cuts and scrapes not completely without damaging him. "Well, I...certainly hope that's...the end...for tonight. I don't...think that I can...take any...more..." the priest weakly stated.

The Chinese shaman grinned slightly. "So...with overtime like this...you should get paid...pretty well...right?"

Hao glanced around the area. The damage was extensive. Most of the trees had been uprooted and overturned, and practically all of the sitting rocks had been rolled or thrown far from their initial places. The sand, initially covering only one third of the area, had been scattered everywhere, the small fishless pond nearly filled with it, and large gashes had been carved into the ground. On top of that, many of the surrounding walls were damaged, both from the winds and Hao flying through them. The items Kenta had left on the veranda had been scattered around, most of them broken.

"I'm not sure," the Onmyoji sighed.

"I think I may owe _them_."

* * *

I know that including a member of the Tao family seems lame, but here's my reasoning: later in the manga, when the Asakuras and the Taos have their "meeting," both families seem quite standoffish towards one another, even though the Asakuras seem to be more trusting. That led me to think that the families had known each other long before Yoh and Ren fought. I decided to make Gang the polar opposite of Ren to avoid the whole "all you did was write Ren into your story" thing. Plus, I needed a "main" supporting character.

The jian is a Chinese straight sword. I'm sure that most of you have seen one. The names for them, dàn and huì, mean "day" and "night" in Chinese.

I'm not sure if an amanojaku is a singular demon in Japanese mythology or if there are many of them. I decided to go with the latter. The demon supposedly does indeed have the ability to see into peoples' hearts, so I thought it would make an interesting opponent for Hao.

Amanozako (no relation to the amanojaku that I know of) is an evil goddess in Japanese mythology. She's apparently pretty bad, as the two sets of characters used to write her name translate to "heaven opposing everything" and "tengu deity." She was supposedly created by Susanoo when he let his violent spirit build up inside himself. It got so bad that he vomited, creating her. I never found anything about her being associated with wind, but I found out that she can fly for thousands of miles at a time so, associating her with air was my idea.

Ti-Lung is a name for the dragon of earth in Chinese mythology. This word is the Wade-Giles translation. Its pinyin is Dilong.

The phrase Gang said when using hyoui-gattai, "Sǐ wáng de shì," was my attempt at a Chinese phrase. Since I don't speak Chinese, nor have I ever studied the language other than my attempt at putting that phrase together, I have no idea if it's correct or not, so feel free to criticize if I got it wrong. It's supposed to mean "death form" since he placed Ti-Lung's soul into huì, the black handle jian that has been sharpened, but again, the sentence structure and word usage could be wrong.

And, as a final a/n, the pond in the garden is not a koi pond. Koi were not introduced to Japan until around the 1400s.


	6. Passing

Being borderline dragged back to your cart wasn't much fun. Practically being manhandled like a rag doll and thrown inside said cart due to Gang's failing strength was even less so. For the two men, the next week was filled with nothing but bed rest, the thrashing they took not allowing them to do anything else. Upon the week's passing and, feeling he had rested enough, Hao had a meeting with the family who had contracted him.

When he arrived, the family was more than polite to him. They treated him as though he were one of their own, so grateful they were for the priest's exorcism. When the discussion of payment came up, Hao wasn't able to convince the family that he was indeed the one who owed _them_. Rather, they decided to double the fee they had agreed to pay the Onmyoji. Hao, however, managed to talk them into paying only one fourth of the original fee under the pretense that he was responsible for most of the damage done to the estate. He even went so far as to send some of the men who had added onto his own estate to aid in repairs.

Late that night, after the rest of the household was sleeping, the priest decided to spend some time setting on the veranda, gazing at the moon and stars. Watching the twinkling objects in the sky was a longtime hobby of his, having spent many nights under them as a child. Feeling something solid brush against him, he looked down to see Matamune sitting beside him.

Scratching the back of the cat's head, his eyes perked as he noticed something. The priest stood abruptly and paced back into his room, the shoji already slid wide open. He returned bearing a small sitting cushion, identical to the one he had been setting on. Placing it a small distance from his, he casually placed the feline on it with a smile.

As the cat raised his left hind paw to scratch behind his ear on the same side, the bear claw necklace given to him by Hao, clacked together. Staring at it, Hao remembered what he had told Matamune regarding becoming a goryoushin.

"If you are to become a goryoushin," Hao started. "There is one thing you must keep in mind."

The feline cocked his head at the man.

"When two goryoushin battle one another, their powers are expended," the Onmyoji contined. "If they do not take time and wait for their energy to replenish, there is a possibility of their souls disappearing."

He stared up at the sky as the cat contemplated what he had just heard. "It is one of the duties of an Onmyoji to defend this balance and prevent the spirits from destroying one another." Hao smiled. "That can sometimes be a difficult thing to accomplish. We shamans...don't always have an easy life, either..."

"Of course," the Onmyoji continued, "I have no intention of allowing you to fade away, if you do indeed become a goryoushin. I simply thought it would be best to let you know that, were you to become a goryoushin, that I may have to ask for your...services when I must battle other spirits, and this is a threat you would have to face."

Matamune looked up at his friend solemnly. Hao gave the feline a reassuring smile.

"There's no way I'm ever going to allow you to fade away, my friend."

* * *

Hao awoke holding his head. Glancing up out of his window, he noticed that the sun was up, and had apparently been up for quite some time, as it seemed to be high in the sky. The priest casually scratched the back of his head as he realized that he was not yet fully recovered from his wounds, the cause of his sleeping in.

"I was wondering when you were going to decide to get up," a familiar voice stated.

"Oh, good...evening, Gang," Hao replied, not bothering to look up.

The Chinese shaman grinned. "You know, everyone's waiting for the training session you promised them. They have been for a while now."

The Onmyoji stood up abruptly, sending Matamune tumbling. "I can't believe I slept through that!" he shouted, adding "I...I assume that they're rather angry, aren't they?"

Gang chuckled. "Nah, they're understanding of it. According to them, it doesn't matter who you are; if you fight a goddess, you are lucky if you make it back alive."

Hao had wobbled over to get dressed in his trademark Onmyoji clothes. "Still, I shouldn't get their hopes up and then leave them waiting out there all day..."

Gang shook his head. "Actually, I had a better idea." Hao paused to look up at the man.

"Since you're still a little under the weather," Gang continued, "I thought that _I_ could oversee today's session. After all, you were only going to spar with them, right?"

The priest nodded. "That's right."

"Not to mention, didn't you say a few days ago that a couple of your students didn't come back?"

Hao nodded once more. "Yes, Haruki and Gorou decided to stay in the villages they had traveled to in order to help the people there. I was worried about them at first but, when I received word of what they intended to do, there was no way that I couldn't give them my blessing and best wishes."

Gang grinned. "Well, less people should make the training even smoother." Motioning for the priest to sit down, he added "don't worry about it, I think I can handle one practice session. You can do it next time, 'cause this is the only time I'm doing it."

The priest chuckled. "Fine, fine. Thank you, Gang. Oh, and go easy on them," he added.

"Yeah, yeah," the shaman replied, waving his hand over his shoulder as he stepped outside.

Gang grinned smugly at the assembled group before him as he walked into the courtyard. "So, Hao says that he'll take you up on the offer to get more rest," he said, thumbing at the Onmyoji's room. "Don't worry though," he added, grin broadening, "_I'll_ be training you today."

"Oh come on, there's no way that _you_ can be as good a teacher as Hao," Daisuke scoffed.

Gang smiled. "Care to be the first participant, then?"

"Sure thing," the child retorted, marching forward to meet Gang. "We'll show him, Hotaka," the boy added as a young warrior, appearing to be in his teens materialized behind him. The soldier appeared to be no older than fifteen, decked out in iron armor that covered his chest and upper legs. Aside from the pair of straw sandals on his feet and iron helmet on his head, the rest of the young man's body was bare.

The Chinese shaman chuckled. "Alright, so you have a spirit. Do ya know how to sync with him, kid?"

"Hyoui-gattai, Hotaka!" Daisuke shouted, drawing a short sword from its sheath on his left hip and extending his hand as the warrior spirit formed into a sphere in the boy's palm. He followed up the motion by slamming the sphere into his chest, allowing it to merge into him.

Spiritual energy engulfed the blade of Daisuke's sword, giving it an ethereal extension, while the soldier's armor formed on the boy's chest and upper legs, albeit in a smaller size so as to fit better. The child smirked. "Well, 'teacher?' How's this?"

Gang smiled as he drew his white handled jian, as his dragon companion formed upward out of the ground. "We'll show this kid how it's done, Ti-Lung."

…

Inside the manor, Hao had settled himself in front of a desk. Before him lay an open book, half of the left page filled with writing. Picking up his brush and dipping it in ink, he set about adding to its content. Scribbling on the page, he came to a halt when Matamune walked across it, observing the words.

With an amused chuckle, the priest gently brushed the feline to the side in order to continue working. The cat, believing a game had just been initiated, weaved around his friend's hand to look once more at the scribblings in the book, causing Hao to laugh aloud.

"It's a book, my friend," the Onmyoji stated. "Though not just a normal book. I've decided to make a compilation of the various abilities, techniques, and methods of training that I've accumulated throughout my life." As the cat gave him a puzzled look, he smiled. "I just thought it would be best to preserve this knowledge for the future of the Asakura name. Plus," he added, "the only time I've been able to work on it is when _you_ are asleep."

Matamune paced back to the edge of the desktop, watching intently as the priest's hand moved across the page, adding more and more scribblings. Hao was in the process of brushstroking the next character when the entire room began to shake, causing the brushtip to streak off the page.

The priest gave an exasperated sigh. "I told him to take it easy..."

…

Outside, Daisuke lay draped across the large rock in the center of the courtyard, exhausted. Aiko was not much further away, stretched out on the ground. Only two remained, Ryota and Takeshi, both breathing heavily. Ryota had positioned herself into a semi-crouched stance, hold her dagger protectively in front of herself. Takeshi was grasping a spear, easily ready to strike if necessary.

Gang stood not to far from them, both his jian drawn, almost completely covered in his earthen dragon scale armor. His near Ti-Lung appearance was topped off by the tail protruding from his lower back. As opposed to the two he was facing, his breathing was normal, his entire being completely composed.

"Well? I'm standing here, waiting," Gang stated with a smug smile.

The two filled their lungs with air before charging at the Chinese shaman. Gang paid them the same respect, albeit without the need to suck in oxygen. When the two closed in, he made his move. As his assailants move in, one from each side, Gang ducked swiftly before bridging backwards. The two trainees' weapons clashed together where the man's chest had been moments before, slicing only air.

Using his black-handled sword, the Chinese shaman deftly smacked both of his opponents' weapons away. Planting his feet in the ground, he rocketed himself forward, lashing out with the white-handled blade at supersonic speeds. The hits landed before the two young shamans could even register it.

Sheathing his weapon, Gang glanced around the courtyard, a smug smile spreading across his lips. His various opponents lay scattered around, exhausted. Even Shinobu, the most promising of the group, despite his age, sat with his back against the central tree, snoring loudly.

"Oh, come on..." the shaman jeered, "you can't _all_ be finished, can you?"

Daisuke, laying sprawled out face first in the dirt a couple yards away, murmured a half hearted "Just shut up..."

Gang chuckled before shrugging and crossing his arms in front of him. Whistling tunelessly, he slowed padded his way over to the large rock resting beside the courtyard's central tree. Reaching his destination, he hopped atop it, sitting cross-legged, as Ti-Lung manifested beside him.

"Don't you think you went a little hard on them?" the dragon inquired in his usual hiss.

The Chinese shaman was staring at the far door behind which was Hao's room. "I don't really think so. I had it a bit rougher back home. But you know all about that."

"True, but you're of nobility. You were expected to be incredibly strong. They are only...commoners," Ti-Lung stated, coiling himself nonchalantly in midair.

"Well, they're not going to get stronger if I hit them with pillows, are they?" Gang retorted. "They're all training to follow in Hao's footsteps, so they will need to be strong."

The dragon had already lost interest in the conversation. He was flitting higher and higher, coiling himself around and through the branches of the tree before Gang had even finished the sentence.

The shaman sighed. "How typical of you," he said, shaking his fist at the dragon. "If you aren't even going to listen, don't ask!" he added with a grin.

"Ahem." Gang snapped his head back down, eyes staring across the courtyard. Hao had exited his room and was standing on the veranda, a slight frown on his face and left eyebrow raised in a quizzically annoyed way.

"Didn't I say to '_take it easy on them_?'" the priest inquired, adding extra emphasis on the word "easy."

The Chinese shaman rubbed the back of his head, displaying a goofy grin. "Well, I was of the opinion that they needed a tough fight to get them ready for when it gets serious."

Hao sighed, looking at the base of the central tree. "Even Shinobu?"

Gang chuckled. "_Especially_ Shinobu. He is the most promising, after all."

The priest gave yet another slight sigh, shaking his head, all the while agreeing with Gang.

"Hey," the Chinese shaman intruded, "what's that?" he added, pointing to the book in Hao's left hand.

Hao pressed the book against his side. "Oh, it's not really much of anything," he chirped. "I just thought that I would give a rough example of my various training methods, along with other advice, to those who will succeed me after I am gone."

Gang gave his typical grin. "Mind if I take a peek at it?"

The priest couldn't repress his smirk. "No...no, I'm afraid not."

* * *

…

_His feet padded softly on the dirt as he marched home. He raised his left hand to rub the same side of his head. The local children had been making fun of him once more. One had even hit him with a decent sized rock._

"_Demon boy! Demon boy! Son of the fox!" they had chanted at him. He had no clue what they were talking about. He wasn't some demon's child. He was Asaha Douji, son of Asanoha Douji, his mother, whom he loved very much._

"_They're just being bullies," Asaha had decided. "Maybe one day they'll grow up and quit it."_

_His ponytail had started coming undone, so he fixed it as best he could manage. It still wasn't nearly as good as his mother tied it. He'd get her to fix it properly once he got home, he noted._

"_**Make sure she stays tied down**!" a man screamed somewhere up ahead._

"_**The tanuki will reveal herself soon**!" another added._

"_**Torch the damn place**!" yelled a third._

_Asaha rushed up the path, curious to find out the cause of the commotion. Stepping into the clearing, the child's eyes went wide with shock, his shoulders falling slack. The building to be "torched" was his own home, the "tanuki" obviously his mother._

"_Mother!" he screamed._

_A group of men stood outside the house, weapons drawn. They appeared to be led by a monk standing amidst them. He was the one currently shouting orders and directing the others, the child noted._

"_That's it!" the monk shouted. "Make sure there's no escape! Make sure the wretch is consumed by the flames, accursed tanuki!"_

_The chilling shriek that was elicited from his house as the flames engulfed it was too much for the boy. His blood froze as his knees buckled, unable to hold him upright any longer._

"_MOTHER!" he shouted as loud as his lungs would allow, drawing the attention of the assailants._

_As a few of them began to walk towards him, weapons at the ready, panic seized him. Attempting to flee and stumbling, the child was forced to crawl as rapidly as possible into the tall grasses surrounding the clearing. When he finally felt he was able, he quickly pushed himself to his feet and began to run, swearing that those accursed humans would pay._

…

The sound of wood splintering was enough to jerk him awake. Hao bolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat. "A dream...only a dream..." he whispered aloud, wiping the moisture from his brow. He was resting his face in his right hand when the splintering sound rang out once more.

Gang's voice ripped through his thoughts. "Hao! Hao, get out here now, DAMMIT!"

Bare feet stamping against the tatami padding, the priest threw the shoji open forcefully. Just outside the veranda stood a huge black oni. The thing was far larger than either Zenki or Kouki. It appeared to possibly be more fierce, as well. Its teeth looked longer than Hao's fingers, while its two horns on either side of its head appeared to be longer than his entire body. The monster's mane of white hair served as a stark contrast to its jet black skin.

Hao fumbled with the inside of his robe to produce his two talismans. Touching the ground, they emitted a bright flash. When the light had cleared, Zenki and Kouki, Hao's own ogres, stood to either side of him, sizing up their opponent.

Kouki gave a roar, hoisting his axe in both hands, and dashed forward. Just as the ogre had raised his hands, preparing to cleave into the oni, Hao shouted. "Kouki, stop!" the priest yelled. The ogre turned, puzzled at being stopped before doing what he did best. Hao pointed to the ground beside him. "Get back over here." Kouki obeyed.

Ti-Lung was busy distracting the large oni, swirling around the monster's head. Gang was dodging and weaving amidst its legs, striking out with his black-handled blade, barely leaving scratches behind.

Using the time given by the diversion, the priest began to sync his own shamanic energies with those of his two ogres. As Zenki transferred his energy into his stout shield, the item floating gracefully in midair before attaching itself to Hao's left arm. At the same time, Kouki poured his own powers into his axe, slowly transforming its head into a straight bladed naginata.

Seeing that Hao had finished his preparations, Gang followed suit. Resonating with his dragon companion, the Chinese shaman's body began to become encased in earthen armor. His hands around his now both drawn swords and feet planted on the ground had become talon like.

Nodding to one another, the two shamans dashed forward, ready to go to war with their enemy. Seeing Gang gain advantage over Hao, the oni attempted to crush the man, slamming its massive hand down, forcing the Chinese shaman to dig his heels into the ground in order to prevent his momentum from carrying him forward.

As the large hand slammed in front of him, Gang acted. Stabbing downward with both of his jian, the shaman used every ounce of his strength to pin down the giant palm by driving his blades through it. "Hurry up, Hao!" the Chinese shaman yelled. "There's no need in drawing this out! Let's just destroy the damn thing!"

The priest nodded, deflecting debris that had been thrown up with his shield. With the last of it cleared, the shield detached itself, floating gently in front of the priest due to the vast amount of furyoku being generated by the oversoul. With a powerful thrust, Hao drove the blade of his naginata through the shield, leaving most of its length protruding from the other side.

Seeing the actions of the shaman, the oni raised its free hand above its head. As the creature made to crush the little man before it, the priest raised his newly combined weapon. The shear energy output of the blade was enough to repel the monster's talons, not allowing them to get remotely close to its wielder.

Tossing the weapon in the air, Hao caught it as it fell, holding it like a spear. With a flick of his wrist, he released the weapon like a javelin, propelling it at the monster's head. The point of the blade hit the oni directly between the eyes and drove through its skull, exploding out the back. Bone, hair, and organic matter alike were utterly disintegrated in the weapon's wake.

The monster's body toppled immediately, slowly breaking apart in the process. The fused weapon separated into its components once more, before fading away into their energies, returning to their respective talismans. The priest pressed his hand to his head, swiping his hair out of his with the same motion.

"_Reishi acting up again? It's been years...so why now? Not since..._"

"Ohachiyo," Hao murmured.

"Eh?" Gang inquired. "You say something?"

"No...just musing to myself, that's all."

The Chinese shaman shrugged. "Hm...and now there are oni to deal with... You're just full of fun, huh?" he said with his trademark grin.

Hao didn't return the gesture. "Fun. Right." he said glumly.

"_If it acts up again, I may have to go away...just like before._"

* * *

It had been incredibly hard to lift his head, as if stones had been stacked on top of it. On top of that, his eyes had become heavily lidded, making sight difficult, as well. The only immediate object he could make out was the white pants clad leg of his friend. A few more blurry figures stood out in the distance, but the feline couldn't make out exactly who it was. He assumed one of them was most likely that man that the priest had brought to live at the mansion.

Matamune's health was slowly fading. The diseases that had ravaged his body all this time had finally begun to take their full toll. Unable to actually raise his head, the feline barely managed to turn it to the side, passing a glance over at the priest. The man had a smile on his face. He was always smiling, come to think of it, the cat thought.

"There's no need to worry, my friend," Hao said to him. "Remember what I told you when I gave you that necklace," he added, pointing to the object around Matamune's neck. "You have a strong will, so the choice will be yours."

The cat knew that. He knew it very well. He hadn't actually thought about much else since hearing it, save for basic instincts every now and then. The feline had to admit, he was a little apprehensive. Certainly, he believed what his friend had told him, without a shadow of doubt. The man had never led him astray or lied to him, so there was no need to question the priest's wisdom. No, Matamune's doubts resided within himself. Even though his friend had explained that he had the will to become a goryushin, and he believed the man's words to be fact, he couldn't help thinking that he would fail somewhere in the process.

That was what terrified the cat. If he happened to make the slightest error, who knew what could happen. His very soul could cease to exist, as far as he knew. Hao hadn't even remotely explained what he would have to do, and he couldn't just sit up and ask the man, not only because he couldn't speak the man's language, but also because it was impossible for him to sit up. His strength had been completely sapped.

He felt the priest's gentle touch, slowly stroking down his back, scratching lightly behind his ears. Matamune felt his apprehension ease a little.

"Remember, Matamune," the man was saying, "a portion of my furyoku is with you," as if he had read the feline's thoughts. "You will be fine if you so wish to remain here."

The sensation of his friend's hand was numbing away. Though he could hear the man's words, the man himself sounded as if he were across the courtyard. The cat thought he could hear someone crying, but he wasn't sure. His hearing was nearly gone, his eyes barely slitted open.

Hao sat back, folding his hands in his lap. He turned and gave a slight smile to Aiko, who was trying as best she could to cover up her sobs. "Don't worry, Aiko," the priest assured the girl. "It's something that we all must go through. Being sad for those who pass or afraid of passing ourselves is trivial." His smile broadened. "Plus, it isn't the end. More the start of an entirely new journey."

"_If I am not able to overcome what trials await..._" Matamune thought, as Hao wrapped his right arm around the young girl, consoling her. If a smile could be attributed to a cat, that would be the only word to describe the appearance of the feline's mouth as his last breath escaped him, his eyes closing, not to open again.

"_...It has truly been a pleasure to know these people._"

* * *

No, I've not forgotten about this story, it's just that studying to be a game designer is tedious as hell.


End file.
